Efficient use of resources

Optimising processes from agricultural input to consumer behaviour is relevant for the overall sustainability of the food system. Such optimisation does not necessarily require further  intensification of production, but rather involves significant reconfiguration of many different dominant practices and structures that constitute our food systems.

SPECIFIC R&I BREAKTHROUGH TOPICS

Efficient water use: Global agricultural production currently uses about 70% of the world’s fresh water supply. Optimising and transforming the way water is used in food systems requires technological innovations reducing water losses as well as optimising irrigation and food processing, as well as transformative interventions that address water scarcity in vulnerable areas, innovations and interventions that reduce and prevent water pollution, and new farming (management) methods that lead to more resilient soils and production systems, enhancing adaptivity and sustainability of the food-water-energy nexus.
Efficient land use: Increasing demand for food has led to greater pressure on and competition for land. Optimising and balancing land-use activities is a critical topic in the transformation of food systems. Efficient land-use can be achieved through (high-tech) innovations (increasing crop yields, vertical farming) that lead to more efficient production, but don’t necessarily require intensification of agricultural practices. Instead, moving away from monocultural production and intensive livestock farming, while increasing crop diversity and implementing new innovative practices that combine land-use functionalities (such as agroecology, conservation agriculture, integrated crop-livestock systems and urban agriculture) might pave the way for transformation towards more local, (bio)diverse and resilient food systems.
Efficient nutrient use: Current nutrition efficiency in food systems is hampered by ineffective and large-scale use of fertilisers (in monocultural production) including the adverse effects of this usage on the environment, and large quantities of food waste throughout the value chains. Innovations and interventions are required that enhance nutrient circularity (in particular in nitrogen and phosphorus cycles), improved livestock and manure management, and reduce food waste. Efficient nutrient use could be further enhanced through the transition towards plant-based diets, thereby accommodating more efficient water and land use.

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