Nature

An increasingly wealthy and growing urban population is increasing demand for more sustainably grown food. This issue features a series of articles that highlight how enhancing production on existing arable land and producing with less input is an ambitious and data-intensive challenge.

It's not easy to be environmentally friendly. Especially when there are always more mouths to feed. Since the Green Revolution of the 1960s, agriculture has been an extraordinary success, feeding more people around the world than ever thought possible, but it is taking an enormous toll on the planet's ecosystems, biodiversity, water and climate. paying a price. Since the 1960s, the introduction of high-yielding crop varieties and the widespread use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides have increased production significantly, especially in developing regions. As more people concentrate in cities, rising incomes and changing preferences will increase demand for meat, which requires large inputs of energy, nutrients and water, and requires more land. The impact is getting worse. The dual realities of population growth and increasing affluence and worsening environmental impacts are driving interest in sustainable enhancement'.

Sustainable intensification (SI) refers to higher yields on existing land, fewer harmful inputs, and fewer impacts. A variety of methods and approaches can contribute, from soil conservation and other traditional farming techniques to the high-tech use of drones and data. This issue focuses on sustainable enhancement, with articles that address different aspects of this challenge.

Cassman and Grassini highlight recent trends fueling global thinking about SI, such as soaring grain prices, stagnant yield growth in existing acreage, and wild-to-farm conversion. . Given projected population growth, the timeframe for action is short, with priority given to strengthening production in developing 'breadbasket' regions. How can we increase yield while increasing water and nutrient use efficiency, reducing soil erosion and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions? Beyond improvements, we discuss extending research to production systems in the field of work, forming cooperatives for agricultural data, monitoring environmental performance at ecologically relevant levels, and more. B. Watershed.

The convergence of agronomy and information technology is at the forefront of digital farming, using geospatial technology, sensors and algorithms to target what, where and how to grow. In their comments, Basso and Antle agree that genetic improvement is necessary but not sufficient and advocate a digital approach to crop and field monitoring to optimize inputs and planting decisions. Such information can also suggest the best areas to leave as habitat, helping to balance agriculture and conservation. This balancing act, they suggest, encompasses the spirit of sustainability rather than a single focus.

Schramsky et al. A second comment argues that yield, biodiversity, climate, water and nutrients are essential, but energy is a fundamental factor. An honest assessment of agricultural sustainability needs to take this into account, they argue, and energy use is often missing from discussions on sustainable strengthening of food systems. increase. Tractors, drones and computers are primarily powered by fossil fuel energy, and food production accounts for a large part of the world's growing energy use. Will we seek energy contained in increasingly sophisticated inputs, many of which involve long and complex supply chains? , efficiency gains have a notorious tendency to increase resource consumption.

The sustainable intensification of agriculture should be clear by now, but requires much consideration. For traceability reasons, scholars often focus on one or two aspects or specific regions. SI's main motivation is the need to protect land for biodiversity. This is because agriculture occupies a huge and growing share of the earth's land area. In one article, Folberth and colleagues used crop models to optimize crop locations and fertilizer inputs, which could cut the amount of land needed to produce the current amount of food in half. is shown. This is only marginally reduced by ensuring biodiversity hotspots and important landscapes are protected. Also, vast wild areas store carbon as vegetation regrows, helping fight climate change.

As most of these papers argue, a global focus is important, but regional studies are also needed. South Asia, rooted in India, is the world's most densely populated region and relatively vulnerable