Modern agriculture has a profound impact on our environment, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Climate change exacerbates these issues, threatening agricultural productivity and stability.
A recent review highlights that climate change could further reduce harvests, diminish fertilizer effectiveness, and accelerate damage from pests and soil erosion. This could lead to increased land clearing, habitat loss, and more intensive use of fertilizers and pesticides, further harming ecosystems.
?? Joseph Fargione, TNC’s Science Director for North America, emphasizes: “There is already ample reason to fight climate change, but this paper highlights an additional reason – it makes achieving sustainable agriculture more challenging. To feed a growing world, we need to increase agricultural yields without cutting down remaining rainforests or plowing up prairies. This means conserving soils, weathering droughts, and controlling pests – all of which will be harder in a warmer world with bigger storms, deeper droughts, and longer growing seasons for pests.”
???Hope on the horizon: The team emphasizes that approaches that promote soil health, such as cover crops, no-till farming, and crop diversification, can enhance the ability of agricultural soils to store carbon. In addition, agroforestry can diversify farmer revenue, provide shade for livestock, and serve as windbreaks while also sequestering carbon. More efficient fertilizer use can also reduce water pollution and emissions of nitrous oxide – a greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than CO2.
To read more check out the full study https://nature.ly/3Ttke73
#Sustainability #ClimateChange #Agriculture #Innovation #Biodiversity
