The potential for a productive, fossil fuel free agriculture based

on ecosystem services

Johanna BjörklundMan –Technology–Environment

Meal Ecology ForumÖrebro University

johanna.bjorklund@oru.se

To feed an increasing global population and in the same time cope with climate change and ecosystem degradation the large-scale, low-productive and extensive mode of food production in industrial countries needs to be abandoned

Roine Magnusson

• Food production in industrial countries are addicted to fossil fuel when we are rapidly approaching ”Peak oil”

• The Swedish consumption pattern needs an area one third larger than our agricultural area - world population increases!

• The food system contributes to all the planetary boundaries that we are presently overrunning

Non negotiable demands on future food system

• More food with less use of water and without fossil fuels

• Agricultural areas needs to sequestrer carbon• Drastically reduced input of new nitrogen – 25

% of today? – No more N fertilizers in our part of the world

• No more phosphorus to the oceans• Extinction of species need to be halter to at

least 1/10 of today

Decreased meat consumption in high income countries!• Animal husbandry

contributes to all global environmental challenges

• A reduction of meat consumption with 25 -35% would improve our health

• The consumption still increases!

A sustainable climate friendly animal production is possible!

Arla Foods

Locally produced meat from cows fed on roughage and

natural pastures:

– Do not compete with humans– Multifunctional – contributes with

ecosystem services– Maintain biodiversity– Contributes to carbon dioxide sinks– Do not contribute to afforestation– Local context!

Pigs and chicken feed on food left

overs:

• Climate neutral – the production of fodder contributes to 70-80% of their emissions today

• Structural changes need – feedback that are felt!

Integration of animals and crops –… between urban and rural areas – locally

production of food

Recirculation and efficient use

Decreased meat consumption!

• Limited resources – fossil fuels and phosphorous

• Eutrophication, global warming, acidification, stratospheric ozone destruction and ground-level ozone production

• Total addition of ”new N and P” is decisive for the impact.

The cost for the environmental damage caused by the use of N fertilizers in Europe outrun the economic value of their use. (The European Nitrogen Assessment, 2009)

Linear nutrient flows – agricultures largest environmental problem?

All land use need to contribute to carbon sequestration – a

great potential in agriculture!

• Perennial crops• Art rich areas sequester more• Ecological production • Agriculture without ploughing

Future food from perennial systems?International research demonstrate that agroforestry systems are: more productive than monocultures, improve recycling of nutrients, increase biodiversity, sequester carbon dioxide, reduce the need of fossil fuels, increase resilience to climate change.

Is this true in Swedish conditions & what will we eat?

Urban agriculture

Increases in low-energy societies and during economic crises – productive, low resource use, efficient recirculation, biological regulation

Food for a sustainable planet