The Silent Soil Crisis

Climate models frequently overlook a significant factor: soil degradation. Soil acts as a massive carbon reservoir, holding 80% of the planet's carbon. During droughts, it releases greenhouse gases. Over the last 500 years, human activities, particularly agriculture, have depleted nearly 2 billion hectares of land—an area larger than Russia. This exploitation has emitted around 500 billion tons of CO2 equivalent from soil disturbances, contributing to a quarter of current global warming. If this trajectory continues, an additional 120 billion tons could be released by 2050, exacerbating climate change.

A study published in Environmental Research Letters indicates that extreme and persistent droughts are causing carbon-rich soils to fracture, further releasing CO2 and other greenhouse gases. The deterioration of soil health not only hampers photosynthesis and CO2 absorption but also threatens the structural integrity of earthen dams crucial for flood protection.

This cycle of drought leading to cracked soil and carbon release is a feedback loop largely ignored in most climate models. Changes in soil conditions due to drought may be as critical as other factors currently considered.

Drought causes soil to crack, exposing it to air and increasing microbial activity, which accelerates organic matter breakdown, releasing CO2 and diminishing the soil's nutrient content. These deep fissures reveal older carbon stocks that were previously stable. When air permeates the soil, it hastens the release of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, including nitrous oxide.

Even minor soil-dwelling organisms, such as earthworms and millipedes, are affected. The lack of moisture and increased exposure to air inhibit their roles in nutrient cycling and soil structure maintenance, which leads to further soil cracking and aeration.

All of this is to feed... cars and livestock.

The Upside Down World: Cows and Cars Over Humans

Farmers and scientists are working to increase food production on less land. However, the focus often shifts away from crops that humans consume directly.

Each year, farmers gather in Houston for the National Corn Yield Contest, aiming to maximize corn production per square meter. In 2023, David Hula from Virginia achieved an astounding 623.84 bushels per acre, significantly surpassing the national average.

This is remarkable, showcasing agriculture's potential when leveraging available resources such as high-quality seeds, effective pesticide and herbicide combinations, precision fertilizer application, and timely irrigation.

Yet, many farmers globally lack access to such advanced technology, leading to lower yields. The yield gap—the difference between potential and actual crop yield—is crucial here. For instance, the average corn yield in the US is approximately 10.8 tons per hectare, nearing its theoretical maximum. In comparison, Kenya's yield is only about 1.5 tons, significantly below its potential and approximately 2.7 tons under its theoretical maximum.

Yield gaps indicate areas where productivity could improve dramatically. This is especially vital in sub-Saharan Africa, a region facing extreme hunger and a rapidly increasing population expected to double by 2050.

However, the existence of a large yield gap is as detrimental as having no yield at all. The theoretical maximum yield typically rises with advancements in crop science and farming methods. If it stagnates, it suggests a lack of progress in improving crop varieties and techniques, particularly for rice, a staple crop providing a fifth of global daily calories.

Conversely, crops like corn and soybeans, which are experiencing growing yield gaps, are primarily utilized for biofuels and animal feed rather than human consumption. This highlights a significant flaw in our food production system, wasting farmland on inefficient uses, resulting in less food for people and fewer opportunities for rewilding. Enhancing agricultural productivity is essential for alleviating poverty, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where most individuals living in extreme poverty rely on agriculture.

Meanwhile…

… the world discards over 1 billion meals daily, even as hunger escalates.

Countries within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) represent just 16% of the global population but account for 30% of organic waste. Overpopulation is often cited as an issue, yet there is enough food to feed everyone.

Food waste is a persistent challenge at every stage of the supply chain, from farm to table. Vegetables are discarded for being the wrong size, grains fall off conveyor belts, milk spoils during transport, fruit spoils on display, and meat decays in packaging. Even leftovers often end up in the trash.

According to UNEP’s Food Waste Index Report 2024, 19% of global food production is wasted. Households are the largest culprits, wasting 43%, followed by food services at 26% and retail at 13%.

Consider this: every seventh truck transporting fresh food is essentially a garbage truck. The same employees who stock shelves also toss products into the trash.

The more we consume, the more we waste.

The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that in 2023, over 345 million people faced severe food insecurity, with as many as 783 million going hungry. Each year, hunger claims around 9 million lives, including 3.1 million children.

Here are some hard facts: 1. One-third of food is lost or wasted globally, equating to an annual loss of around 1.3 billion tons, valued at approximately $1 trillion. 2. The food waste could nourish two billion people, more than double the number of undernourished individuals worldwide. 3. The food waste from affluent nations nearly matches the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa each year. 4. In developing countries, 40% of losses occur during post-harvest and processing stages.

But here's the kicker: food waste isn't just a social crisis; it's an environmental catastrophe.

Discarded food decomposes in landfills, producing methane—a greenhouse gas significantly more potent than CO2. Food waste in landfills contributes to 8% of global emissions. If food waste were a nation, it would rank as the third-largest CO2 emitter globally, following the USA and China.

Moreover, wasted food represents a waste of resources, time, and energy.

Agriculture consumes 70% of the world’s water supply, meaning food waste severely depletes our freshwater and groundwater resources. Each year, the water used to grow uneaten food could fill Lake Geneva three times. Discarding a kilogram of beef equates to wasting 25,000 liters of water used to raise it. Tossing out a liter of milk is akin to discarding over 1,000 liters of water.

Globally, an agricultural area larger than Qatar is used to cultivate food that ultimately goes to waste.

Taking Action Against Land Waste

It’s a difficult dilemma.

I find it challenging to determine whether I should feel more despondent or optimistic about our situation: our global waste often mirrors our needs. We live in an age where I can order items from a Chinese warehouse and have them at my doorstep in Patagonia within days. Yet, one in five meals produced ends up wasted. We witness innovations like self-driving cars and futuristic technologies, but the underlying principle remains: consume resources liberally and hope for the best.

Land restoration is not instantaneous. Our waste is a source of tragedy. While nearly one billion people go to bed hungry each night, another billion consciously waste enough food to sustain them. We are gambling with our future, precariously balanced on the edge of critical environmental tipping points, fueled by food destined for landfills.

Restoring land could provide solutions to various challenges, not just land degradation. A World Economic Forum report suggests investing approximately $2.7 trillion annually in ecosystem restoration, regenerative agriculture, and circular business models could create nearly 400 million new jobs and generate over $10 trillion in annual economic value. This investment pales in comparison to the $11 million per minute the fossil fuel industry receives. More disturbingly, for every dollar invested in combating climate change, at least five are spent on subsidizing harmful practices.

Nevertheless, governments worldwide continue to spend over $600 billion on direct agricultural subsidies, which could instead support land restoration and yield-enhancing practices. It is irrational to use public funds to deplete our natural resources, yet this occurs repeatedly during election cycles.

One reason land degradation has been largely neglected is humanity's disconnection from the land. Most people now reside in urban areas, distanced from food production. Additionally, affluent nations have historically dismissed land degradation as an "African issue." However, in reality, land degradation and drought impact nearly every country across the globe.

With global food demand projected to rise by 50% by 2050 and climate change potentially reducing yields by 30%, the issue of land degradation cannot be ignored.

Ultimately, we are the ones who bear the consequences. That half-eaten meal in the trash—what was the purpose of our efforts? Why did we plant, nurture, harvest, and transport? We labor tirelessly to maintain the global supply chain, only to discard 40% of our achievements. Each time food is sent to a landfill, we waste not only calories but lives as well. This situation starkly illustrates how our relentless quest for more has left us feeling empty and depleted, trapped in a cycle of scarcity.

Now, let’s take a moment to reflect.

Let's ask ourselves: _Is this how we truly want to live?_

Speak up.

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