Our planetary health report card looks really grim
We must do better.
by Rachel Cernansky | Apr 24

If we are going to cope with a changing climate and exploding global population, nearly everything about life needs to shift— including how people grow and eat food. That’s the conclusion of the EAT-Lancet Commission, a group of scientists recommending a new approach for “planetary health.” We rated human progress to see how things are shaping up.

Increase crop diversity: D
Today three quarters of the world’s food comes from just 12 plant and five animal species —even though there are more than 300,000 known edible plants. This leaves the food supply vulnerable to climate change. Seed banks around the world store hundreds of thousands of species, but not enough are being planted. Fabrice DeClerck, coauthor of the EAT-Lancet Commission report, says markets, policies, and technologies to address the situation are all missing.

Boost underused crops: D+
Corn, soy, wheat, and rice dominate global agriculture — and research. We need more development and production of underused crops like fruits and nuts, with a focus on improved varieties that have higher yields and resistance to disease and pests. Brent Loken, the commission’s director of science translation, says we must increase production of legumes by 200%, nuts and seeds by 150%, and fruits by up to 75%.

Change fertilizer use: F
Bard College environmental physics professor Gidon Eshel says, “We are as far from where we need to be as we can possibly be.” US farms, especially, need to drastically reduce fertilizer use, while farms in many other areas around the world — where yields are a fraction of what they could be — need to use more. Precision agriculture technologies under development can help farmers pinpoint the right amounts, but it’s still too expensive for many.

…