The Environmental Food Crisis

IMPACTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION ON YIELD AND AREA

The natural environment, with all its ecosys- tem services, comprises the entire basis for life on the planet. Its value is therefore im- possible to quantify or even model. The state of environment has – at any given stage – ef- fects on food production through its role in water, nutrients, soils, climate and weather as well as on insects that are important for polli- nation and regulating infestations. The state of ecosystems also influences the abundance of pathogens, weeds and pests, all factors with a direct bearing on the quality of avail- able cropland, yields and harvests.

Environmental degradation due to unsustainable human practices and activities now seriously endangers the entire production platform of the planet.

Land degradation and conversion of cropland for non-food production including bio- fuels, cotton and others are major threats that could reduce the available cropland by 8–20% by 2050. Species infestations of pathogens, weeds and insects, combined with water scarcity from overuse and the melting of the Himalayas glaciers, soil erosion and depletion as well as climate change may reduce current yields by at least an additional 5– 25% by 2050, in the absence of policy intervention. These factors entail only a portion of the environment covering direct effects. The indirect effects, including socio-economic responses, may be considerably larger.

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