There has been a long debate about agriculture. On the one hand we need it to meet our nutritional needs. On the other hand, when there is too much cultivated land, it can take away land needed by nature and animal life. And it certainly produces a high impact Environmental Sustainability.
Same food, half land
Now, a new study in the journal Nature Sustainability it is revealing that we may be able to produce the same amount of food using half of the cultivated land. The study is conducted by the researcher Christian Folberth and his colleagues at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria.
Scientists reveal a scenario that brings crop yields from poorer countries to the level of those from richer countries. “Crops can be optimized in the use of space and fertilizers to reduce land waste and pollution by 50% for the same production, or double production without further damage to nature.”
This scenario would free approximately 576 million hectares, allowing the land to restore its natural purpose. Among the "collateral" benefits, greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizers and irrigation water needs will decrease dramatically. The authors underline the environmental aspect, because it would be the one immediately more evident than the food one.
A second scenario
The researchers also offer a second scenario. In this scenario, cultivated land is abandoned in areas with greater biodiversity. 20% of the cultivated area is uniformly used for the production of 16 crops, a sort of "minimum food set". This scenario, the researchers argue, “it would still allow us to reduce land requirements by almost 40%”.
Both scenarios are extremely promising and do not take into consideration new advanced technologies or consumption shifts towards other protein sources (such as plant-based meats).
