Boosting Nature-Positive Food Production. A pathway for safeguarding human and planetary health. UNCCD Action Guide No.1
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UNCCD Library
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serial
UNCCD Action Guides series introduces agroecological approaches and regenerative practices that make food production systems more sustainable and resilient. The strategies and actions presented in these Action Guides are evidence-based, proven to be effective, and can be adapted to diverse settings.
Each Action Guide focuses on key elements that influence the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of food production: soil, gender, tenure, youth, drought and water scarcity, livestock and pastoralism, among others. Collectively, the series offers a systems perspective to guide regenerative actions for both small and large producers to promote nature-positive transformation.
The way we use land and water resources to grow, harvest, and process food (collectively referred to as food production) is currently not sustainable and often harmful to human and planetary health. To feed the global population of 9.7 billion projected by 2050 and safeguard nature’s legacy for future generations, a rapid and systemic transition to nature-positive food production is essential. By protecting, managing, and restoring the key components and functions of nature, we can produce healthy and nutritious food in ways that benefit people and contribute to climate stability, without compromising livelihoods and economic security.
Nature should no longer suffer from how we produce our food. The rising demand for resource-intensive foods is expected to continue. Producing more food in this way will increase pressure on finite soil and water resources and add to climate change.
Current production relies heavily on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and continuing expansion of agricultural land that destroys natural ecosystems and biodiversity habitat.
Modern industrial agriculture, deforestation, and the conversion of natural areas are wiping out species and ecosystems at an unprecedented rate, increasing greenhouse gas emissions and the risks of zoonotic disease. Humans depend on these ecosystems and their benefits to support healthy and resilient food production that can meet growing demand. Sustainable food production depends on pollination, nutrient cycling, pest management, water filtration and carbon sequestration, to name a few. Globally, the annual value of ecosystem services is estimated in the trillions of dollars.
Once lost, many of these services are difficult if not impossible to recover.
Fortunately, there are sustainable alternatives for both smalland large-scale food producers. For example, agroecological approaches and regenerative agricultural practices tend to use resources more efficiently, helping to restore our ‘natural capital’ rather than degrade it. By harnessing the power and diversity in nature to produce more with less, these approaches and practices can also minimize the associated waste and pollution that harms human health and the environment.
Each Action Guide focuses on key elements that influence the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of food production: soil, gender, tenure, youth, drought and water scarcity, livestock and pastoralism, among others. Collectively, the series offers a systems perspective to guide regenerative actions for both small and large producers to promote nature-positive transformation.
The way we use land and water resources to grow, harvest, and process food (collectively referred to as food production) is currently not sustainable and often harmful to human and planetary health. To feed the global population of 9.7 billion projected by 2050 and safeguard nature’s legacy for future generations, a rapid and systemic transition to nature-positive food production is essential. By protecting, managing, and restoring the key components and functions of nature, we can produce healthy and nutritious food in ways that benefit people and contribute to climate stability, without compromising livelihoods and economic security.
Nature should no longer suffer from how we produce our food. The rising demand for resource-intensive foods is expected to continue. Producing more food in this way will increase pressure on finite soil and water resources and add to climate change.
Current production relies heavily on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and continuing expansion of agricultural land that destroys natural ecosystems and biodiversity habitat.
Modern industrial agriculture, deforestation, and the conversion of natural areas are wiping out species and ecosystems at an unprecedented rate, increasing greenhouse gas emissions and the risks of zoonotic disease. Humans depend on these ecosystems and their benefits to support healthy and resilient food production that can meet growing demand. Sustainable food production depends on pollination, nutrient cycling, pest management, water filtration and carbon sequestration, to name a few. Globally, the annual value of ecosystem services is estimated in the trillions of dollars.
Once lost, many of these services are difficult if not impossible to recover.
Fortunately, there are sustainable alternatives for both smalland large-scale food producers. For example, agroecological approaches and regenerative agricultural practices tend to use resources more efficiently, helping to restore our ‘natural capital’ rather than degrade it. By harnessing the power and diversity in nature to produce more with less, these approaches and practices can also minimize the associated waste and pollution that harms human health and the environment.
Keywords
food production
food supply
agroecology
food systems
trade-offs
good practices
facts and figures
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