Sustainable Agriculture

The global population is set to increase to over 10 billion by 2050 and, with economic development, the average wealth of individuals in developing nations is set to rise—this brings with it a set of challenges for agriculture and the food supply chain. To date, the increase in the supply of food to meet global demand has been one of the great success stories of applied research. However, this success has come at the expense of nature; biodiversity is declining at an accelerating pace, rivers, lakes and aquifers are polluted, soils are polluted or being eroded, forests are being converted to grow crops to supply food and energy and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture nearly equal those from transport. Things cannot continue as they are; future food security will need to focus on the sustainable supply of food, incorporating innovation in technology, supply chains and social science/economics. Nature can, and does, provide ecosystem services to agriculture and these services need to be incorporated into the management and conservation of biodiversity.

This section will offer findings that address the challenge of feeding the global population whilst protecting the planet. Manuscripts describing new research, new syntheses and new theories are welcome.