Sustainable Food Systems

This semi-annual event is designed to bring together a diverse group of individuals committed to transforming our food systems to be more sustainable in the face of climate change. This seminar series will provide a unique platform for engagement and collaboration among top scientists, practitioners, and members of civil society who are at the forefront of driving change in food production and consumption practices.

Our first seminar will focus on trade-offs within the global food system. It will feature talks by Paolo D’Odorico (University of California, Berkeley) and Saverio Perri (Santa Fe Institute). The discussion will address the critical challenges of water resource management and agricultural land relocation, highlighting their impacts on global food security and environmental sustainability.

Talk 1: "Water for Nature or Food Security?: How to reconcile human and environmental needs"
Paolo D’Odorico - University of California, Berkeley

The increasing water demand by human societies raises concerns on the extent to which it is possible to feed the world with the limited freshwater resources of the planet. The growing competition for water between human uses and environmental needs limits the development of suitable water security scenarios for a sustainable future. Here we show how humanity is placing unprecedented pressure on the global agricultural system and the water resources it relies on. A planetary water security model is developed to evaluate the tradeoff among water-related social values, including non-anthropocentric values for environmental flows, the water requirements of the human right to food, and the economic value of water to commercial enterprise. Through a suite of ecohydrological and socio-environmental analyses we evaluate the biophysical and social justice limits to the sustainable use of water resources, accounting for hydrologic constraints, climate conditions, environmental needs, livelihoods, and food security.

Talk 2: "Agricultural Land Relocation: A Looming Threat to Global Food System Production Capacity?"
Saverio Perri – Santa Fe Institute

Over the past six decades, a substantial shift in global food production has emerged, with a decline in agricultural land in Europe and North America offset by a surge in the global south. Our study, examining climatic and soil indicators, reveals that newly converted cropland is often constrained by water or nutrient deficiencies and thus tends to be less suitable for agriculture. In parallel, the observed relocation of agricultural land has required increased inputs of water and fertilizers, leading to increased environmental degradation and water over-consumption. This has led, in turn, to a more rapid decline in soil quality, especially in tropical areas, and a faster turnover time in cultivated areas and, likely, greater global biodiversity loss. Continuing these trends could challenge sustainable food production and the future resilience of the global food system and call for new strategies to balance short-term gains with long-term stability. We propose that a more coordinated international effort and holistic view of agricultural impacts are needed to reverse these trends.

This event was supported by a generous grant from the Omidyar Network.