Abstract
Food production needs to increase by 70%, mostly through yield increases, to feed the world in 2050. Increases in productivity achieved in the past are attributed in part to the significant use of fossil fuels. Energy use in agriculture is therefore also expected to rise in the future, further contributing to greenhouse emissions. At the same time, more than two-fifths of the world’s population still depends on unsustainably harvested wood energy for cooking and heating. Both types of energy use have detrimental impacts on the climate and natural resources. Continuing on this path is not an option as it will put additional pressure on the already stressed natural resource base and local livelihoods, while climate change is further reducing the resilience of agro-ecosystems and smallholder farmers. Ecosystem approaches that combine both food and energy production, such as agroforestry or integrated crop–livestock–biogas systems, could substantially mitigate these risks while providing both food and energy to rural and urban populations. Information and understanding on how to change course through the implementation of the practices outlined in this paper are urgently needed. Yet the scientific basis of such integrated systems, which is essential to inform decision-makers and to secure policy support, is still relatively scarce. The author therefore argues that new assessment methodologies based on a systems-oriented analysis are needed for analyzing these complex, multidisciplinary and large-scale phenomena.
Highlights
Food production needs to increase by 70%, mostly through yield increases, to feed the world in 2050
This paper aims to describe the unique role that energy contributes to addressing some of the combined challenges related to food security and climate change
The paper will give an overview of different options that allow for the joint production of food and energy in a climate-smart way, and will explain how such integrated food–energy systems (IFES) can contribute to improved food security, energy access and adaptive capacity to climate change
Summary
Increasing evidence shows that diverse and integrated farming systems and landscapes that are based on agroecological farming practices can present a robust pathway towards climate-smart agriculture, in times of a steadily growing world population and increasing resource competition. In order to accelerate this process, and to facilitate policy decision-making, science and traditional knowledge need to be integrated to inform and engage all stakeholders alike Key to this is a robust and practical, yet holistic, assessment of successful integrated farming systems and landscapes and their institutional and policy requirements based on system-oriented thinking. Beyond the management of single farms, good governance systems for landscape planning and management that advocate for a balanced approach between different land-use functions and nature conservation are crucial – an area that needs more attention in both science and policy discussions Be it through payments for environmental services, or through innovative policy incentives and/or regulations, the multiple functions of land, water and biomass use require careful planning with active participation of the local population. Competing interests The author declares that she has no competing interests
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