Global food production could double and become more resilient to climate change, but only if there is a radical shift in the value placed on ecosystems services, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
New research from UNEP and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) argues that if farmland was recognised as providing services such as water purification and flood defence, as well as supplying food, the agriculture sector could better manage water and land use.
This “agroecosystems” approach could help to ensure sustainable water supplies and reduce the amount of land lost to degradation, through actions such as promoting livestock movement, diversifying land use and making more efficient use of rainwater.
“Agriculture is both a major cause and victim of ecosystem degradation,” said Eline Boelee of IWMI, the report’s lead scientific editor. “Sustainable intensification of agriculture is a priority for future food security, but we need to take a more holistic, ‘landscape’ approach.”
David Molden, deputy director-general for research at IWMI, warned that a change in approach is essential.
“We are heading for disaster if we don’t change our practices from business-as-usual,” he said. “There is a need for a seminal shift in the way modern societies view water and ecosystems and the way we, people, interact with them.”
