Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems

Increasing population and consumption are placing unprecedented demands on agriculture and natural resources. Today, approximately a billion people are chronically malnourished while our agricultural systems are concurrently degrading land, water, biodiversity and climate on a global scale. To meet the world's future food security and sustainability needs, food production must grow substantially while, at the same time, agriculture's environmental footprint must shrink dramatically. Here we analyse solutions to this dilemma, showing that tremendous progress could be made by halting agricultural expansion, closing 'yield gaps' on underperforming lands, increasing cropping efficiency, shifting diets and reducing waste. Together, these strategies could double food production while greatly reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture.

pdf/solutions-for-a-cultivated-planet-19c8aeylfp.pdf

Solutions for a cultivated planet

Food production requires application of fertilizers containing phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium on agricultural fields in order to sustain crop yields. However modern agriculture is dependent on phosphorus derived from phosphate rock, which is a non-renewable resource and current global reserves may be depleted in 50–100 years. While phosphorus demand is projected to increase, the expected global peak in phosphorus production is predicted to occur around 2030. The exact timing of peak phosphorus production might be disputed, however it is widely acknowledged within the fertilizer industry that the quality of remaining phosphate rock is decreasing and production costs are increasing. Yet future access to phosphorus receives little or no international attention. This paper puts forward the case for including long-term phosphorus scarcity on the priority agenda for global food security. Opportunities for recovering phosphorus and reducing demand are also addressed together with institutional challenges.

/pdf/the-story-of-phosphorus-global-food-security-and-food-for-189ky5hvd6.pdf

The story of phosphorus: Global food security and food for thought

Improvements in nitrogen use efficiency in crop production are critical for addressing the triple challenges of food security, environmental degradation and climate change. Such improvements are conditional not only on technological innovation, but also on socio-economic factors that are at present poorly understood. Here we examine historical patterns of agricultural nitrogen-use efficiency and find a broad range of national approaches to agricultural development and related pollution. We analyse examples of nitrogen use and propose targets, by geographic region and crop type, to meet the 2050 global food demand projected by the Food and Agriculture Organization while also meeting the Sustainable Development Goals pertaining to agriculture recently adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. Furthermore, we discuss socio-economic policies and technological innovations that may help achieve them.

/pdf/managing-nitrogen-for-sustainable-development-1cpos7n7gs.pdf

Managing nitrogen for sustainable development

The human imprint on the global environment has now become so large and active that it rivals some of the great forces of Nature in its impact on the functioning of the Earth system. Although global-scale human influence on the environment has been recognized since the 1800s, the term Anthropocene, introduced about a decade ago, has only recently become widely, but informally, used in the global change research community. However, the term has yet to be accepted formally as a new geological epoch or era in Earth history. In this paper, we put forward the case for formally recognizing the Anthropocene as a new epoch in Earth history, arguing that the advent of the Industrial Revolution around 1800 provides a logical start date for the new epoch. We then explore recent trends in the evolution of the Anthropocene as humanity proceeds into the twenty-first century, focusing on the profound changes to our relationship with the rest of the living world and on early attempts and proposals for managing our relationship with the large geophysical cycles that drive the Earth's climate system.

/pdf/the-anthropocene-conceptual-and-historical-perspectives-12lloij4ds.pdf

The Anthropocene: conceptual and historical perspectives

The theme of the book is sharing and managing water resources in Southern Africa (i.e. the 12 SADC member countries). The introduction gives an overview of the contents of each chapter. Key issues like water as a natural resource, its availability (as influenced by climatic factors), water uses and related problems (water stress, population growth, urbanisation and others), water shared within a river basin and between countries are addressed in the various chapters. The last chapters is devoted to management of water resources: Management principles, levels of management, involvement of the private sector and NGO's, the role of Agenda 21 of the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development and the Helsinki Rules, and supply versus demand management. The text and the many coloured illustrations are supplemented by a useful glossary, bibliographical references and an index.

Sharing water in Southern Africa

Closing the loop for nutrients in wastewaters (municipal sewage, animal wastes, food industry, commercial and other liquid waste streams) is a necessary, sustainable development objective, to reduc ...

/pdf/preferred-future-phosphorus-scenarios-a-framework-for-31v35seiv5.pdf

Preferred future phosphorus scenarios: a framework for meeting long-term phosphorus needs for global food demand

Selection of sustainable sanitation arrangements

Variations in sanitation and water arrangements Sanitation arrangements vary in the six peri-urban settlements that have been assessed in the study*. These six settlements are: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Cuernavaca, Mexico; Kabale, Uganda; Majumba Sita, Tanzania; Manyatta, Kenya; and Stockholm, Sweden. Characteristics of these arrangements include: • Access to water – this can vary from indoor tap water to wells and vendors. Most areas face water shortages at least during the dry season or from supply failure. • Variation in toilet facilities – this can vary from a complete lack of sanitation to full coverage of WCs. • Wastewater disposal in most locations wastewater is discharged into nearby ravines or onto the ground, and the sewers often leak into the streets. Pit latrines and septic tanks often overflow and/or collapse during the rainy season, causing environmental as well as health problems. • Reuse of nutrients from human excreta this can vary from extensive use in situ to no reuse at all.

Norms and Attitudes Towards Ecosan and Other Sanitation Systems

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