We need nothing less than a food system revolution

Humanity’s journey on Earth has been shaped by the stable climate conditions of the Holocene epoch, which allowed us to develop agriculture and rapidly expand our societies. However, decades of careless human-driven environmental degradation have put immense pressure on Earth’s self-regulating systems. We are now destabilizing the very systems that sustain us, pushing our planet towards a ‘hothouse state’.🌱🌡️

While the global food system is a prime driver of planetary instability, it often escapes scrutiny. But not today. It’s time to put some food system facts on the table and discuss why a radical transformation is urgently needed.

The boundaries of our planet

Since the beginning of the ice age (yes, we are technically still in one), which started around 2.6 million years ago, the Earth has naturally cycled through warmer and colder periods. When the previous glacial period ended 11.700 years ago, Earth entered a relatively stable climate state known as the Holocene epoch. This epoch brought the climatic stability and favourable environmental conditions our ancestors needed to transition from a nomadic lifestyle to settled agriculture and rapidly develop and expand their societies. This monumental shift was made possible by the Holocene’s gift of four distinct and predictable seasons, which humanity continues to rely on today.

Earth’s self-regulatory systems have maintained the conditions that allowed humanity to thrive. We rely on the mild and moderately wet world of the Holocene, with its permanent icecaps, flowing rivers, a cloak of forests, and abundant life. Without human pressures, this climatic stability could last for another 50.000 years. However, after decades of careless human-driven environmental degradation, we’re moving away from the safety of the Holocene and towards what scientists call a ‘hothouse state.’

Humanity’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels and industrial (animal) agriculture put so much pressure on the climate system, natural carbon sinks, biodiversity, and water and nutrient cycles that we risk causing irreversible and, in some cases, abrupt environmental changes. Our activities effectively destabilise the Earth’s system at a planetary scale, pushing it closer to a state incapable of supporting human civilisation. We have now exceeded the safe limits of 6 out of 9 Earth systems, and the food system is both a primary driver and a victim of these transgressions.

The global food system as a driver

The global food system has significantly changed Earth’s biosphere through centuries of habitat conversion, fragmentation and direct exploitation of organisms. Even today, agriculture continues to degrade land and expand into natural ecosystems, making our current food system the primary driver of habitat destruction and biodiversity loss.

About 55% of habitable land is already converted into croplands, pastures and rangelands, leaving only 45% for nature.
Agricultural land continues to expand, driving ~90% of deforestation globally and ~99% in tropical regions.
Agriculture’s slash-and-burn practices, biomass burning, and (peat)land drainage are significant sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Habitat destruction is the primary driver of biodiversity loss, pushing 1/8 of known species to extinction.

Additionally…

Our food system is the single largest GHG-emitting sector, responsible for ~34% of global emissions.
Wildlife has suffered greatly because of the expansion of agriculture. Today, the total biomass of domesticated mammals (58%) and humans (36%) far outweigh that of wild mammal species (6%).
Agriculture uses fast amounts of water and is responsible for 99% of humanity’s total freshwater footprint (green + blue water) – 87% is provided by precipitation (green), and 13% is directly pumped out of lakes, rivers and aquifers (blue). At least 57% of freshwater withdrawals are unsustainable, depleting sources and leading to water stress.
Food system-related emissions and runoff significantly harm the environment and lead to vegetation dieback, soil degradation, and dead zones in water bodies. It is responsible for 32% of global terrestrial acidification and 78% of global ocean and freshwater eutrophication.
And then there is this: the highly intensive and homogenised monoculture food system that heavily relies on a cocktail of toxic (forever) agrochemicals.

The food system as a victim

Paradoxically, while food production is the prime driver of biosphere degradation and loss of life, it is generally also the first victim. The relentless conversion and disruption of ecosystems and natural carbon sinks, coupled with the harmful emissions and pollution from agricultural activities, severely threaten the vital ecosystem functions that underpin food production itself.

The global food system exacerbates the impacts of climate change and, in return, suffers from its consequences. Climate-related challenges, such as increased evapotranspiration, extreme heat, disrupted rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts, more frequent and intense storms, floods and wildfires, erosion, and salt contamination, pose significant threats to food production. Rising temperatures and humidity regionally decrease crop yield potential and increase the spread of key pests and pathogens, further compromising food security.

Additionally, the food system lacks resilience and is highly vulnerable to environmental, economic, and social shocks. Significant pressures from population growth, changing consumption patterns, rapid urbanisation, competing demands over land and water, geopolitical tensions, and resource conflicts further exacerbate these vulnerabilities.

The food system is failing us

Food system innovations, such as synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and high-yielding crops, may have helped feed a fast-growing world and reduced poverty in some regions, but at what cost? The global food system has created and exacerbated some of humanity’s most complex challenges. When we factor in all of its environmental, health, and social costs, it destroys more value than it creates. The truth is that a large part of the burden placed on the planet and its inhabitants is entirely unnecessary. The current food system is incredibly cruel, highly inefficient in terms of land and resource use and extremely wasteful. Reasons enough to push for a food system revolution.

Agriculture is highly inefficient in terms of land use. Today, about 83% of agricultural land is used to produce animal-based foods that provide only 18% of globally consumed calories and 37% of all protein.
At least a third of all food produced globally is lost or wasted throughout the supply chain (19% at retail, food service, and household level, and 13% post-harvest up to and excl. retail level) —this does not include hidden waste (food lost before or during harvest). When including this, food loss and waste could be as much as 40%.

A call for a rapid food system transformation

The current global food system is inherently vulnerable, worsened by the impacts of climate change and the significant reduction in ecosystem resilience it has helped create. A major transformation across sectors and scales is needed to regain resilience in the food system and the biosphere and help humanity mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Studies suggest that we can create a food system that stays within Earth’s boundaries and provides 10 billion people with good and healthy food. Achieving this requires an agricultural revolution—one that protects and restores land and water ecosystems, allocates croplands to the most productive regions, adopts land management systems that work with nature rather than against it, reduces food waste from farm to fork, and manages demand-side factors, including a transition to plant-based food sources. Achieving this in a socially just way will be incredibly challenging, requiring full collaboration from all stakeholders, including ourselves. However, this is humanity’s only safe way forward.

And if you are not convinced yet…

Science can only provide us with a carbon budget for a ‘safe and orderly’ shift away from fossil fuels because their models rely on optimistic assumptions to keep global warming below 1.5 or 2°C. These include stable Earth systems, intact natural carbon sinks, and a complete turn-around for land-use change (primarily the food system) from annually emitting 4 billion tonnes of CO2 to absorbing 5 billion tonnes by 2050. The assumption that the global food system will go from source to sink in the blink of an eye, reaching net zero emissions in 2030, is rarely discussed.

So, let’s start the conversation today and drive the change we all need. Join us in advocating for a food system revolution! Together, we can build a safe and just future for all.

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