current agricultural system is up to a huge task: by 2050, we will need to increase food production by about 70% in order to meet the caloric needs of a global population of 9.8 billion people—68% of whom are projected to live in urban areas.
This needed land is equal to roughly double the size of India. This outlook is placing many essential ecosystems at risk of being completely destroyed, especially those that are key to maintaining an already disturbed balance of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.
This widespread destruction of essential ecosystems, driving the significant loss of biodiversity and disruption of ecosystem functions, must come to an end. Furthermore, climate change threatens agricultural yields with drier climates in already dry areas and wetter climates in already wet areas.
