Read
Chapter
1

The dual challenge of agriculture

Summary

Agriculture is both the lever to address global food security and the world's second highest Carbon-emitting industry.

Tackling both challenges simultaneously is essential to our future. To feed a growing population while protecting the planet, we need to close the yield gap while enabling the agriculture sector to go beyond net zero and play a significant role in Carbon sequestration.

Leading climate scientists have warned that it’s

now or never

if we are to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
By 2050, we need to:
Feed a population projected to grow to
10
B
Limit global warming to
1.5
Increase food production by
50

All the while using less land and decreasing carbon emissions.

We must radically change the way we farm to minimize our impact on our environment, ecosystems, and communities. Eroded soils, soil acidification, deforestation, desertification, rising temperatures, extreme weather, and unreliable rainfall together reduce yields and Carbon capture in the soil.

To combat this:

Agriculture must shift from being the world’s second biggest emitter of CO2 to become a scalable lever for decarbonization.

Next Chapter
2

Africa, an untapped potential of agriculture

All Chapters
All Chapters