Climate change is one of the greatest threats to global food security. Rising temperatures, alteration of the precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events disrupt food production systems worldwide. However, climate change is only one of four major environmental crises identified as critical threats to humanity, the other three being biodiversity loss, pollution and waste accumulation, and land degradation. These interconnected crises result from profound human activities, including land-use change, resource use and exploitation, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and invasive alien species.
As climate change accelerates, biodiversity declines, weakening ecosystem resilience and compromising food production. The impacts of climate change on water distribution and availability also represent an important challenge to maintaining crop yields, highlighting the need to improve and review the irrigation systems continuously. Soil contamination from pesticides and particulate pollutants alters soil microbial communities and mesofauna, affecting critical soil functions such as respiration and nutrient cycling, ultimately leading to further degradation.
Human activities exert significant pressure contributing to the degradation of socio-ecosystems. Land degradation is particularly concerning because it results from unsustainable practices mainly related to food production, reducing soil fertility, biodiversity, and overall ecosystem health. Land degradation in the form of soil carbon loss is estimated to have been ongoing for at least 12,000 years but increased exponentially in the last two centuries. Currently, land degradation affects between 25% and 40% of the planet, directly impacting the well-being of at least 3.2 billion people. Human activities lead to the degradation of approximately 12 million hectares of land annually, resulting in an estimated 10% loss in gross domestic product (GDP) associated with the reduction of ecosystem services and biodiversity.
Unsustainable farming practices, compounded by climate stress, drive soil erosion, desertification, and nutrient depletion. The loss of soil organic matter and biodiversity impairs water retention and nutrient cycling, undermining the foundation of productive regenerative agriculture. However, the impacts of these processes are not the same in society. Smallholder farmers are disproportionately impacted, particularly in developing regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. These communities, often dependent on rain-fed agriculture, already face poor soil conditions and limited adaptive capacity. Moreover, a high proportion of low-income and Indigenous populations in these regions rely heavily on local food systems, making them especially vulnerable to climate-induced disruptions. One example of very high vulnerability to climate change is pastoralism, which is practiced in more than 75% of countries by between 200 million and 500 million people. Pastoral system vulnerability is exacerbated by non-climate factors such as land tenure, changes in traditional institutions, invasive species, lack of markets, and conflicts.
Food security opportunities
Due to the intricate interconnections among global environmental crises – climate change, land degradation, pollution and waste, and biodiversity loss – solution pathways must consider these interactions. Such an integrated approach may yield multiple co-benefits or lead to trade-offs and unintended consequences.
Sustainable land management (SLM) is a comprehensive strategy to address, reduce, and reverse land degradation. This approach contemplates the responsible utilization of land resources, including soil, water, flora, and fauna, to meet human needs while ensuring long-term productivity and maintaining essential environmental functions. SLM practices also present potential co-benefits, such as climate change mitigation and adaptation, enhanced social cohesion, and improved food security.
Substantial evidence demonstrates that crop fields managed sustainably outperform those without sustainable management in several key aspects. Fields under sustainable management tend to retain more topsoil, maintain higher moisture levels, support higher vegetation cover (leading to increased soil carbon sequestration), store more soil carbon, experience less erosion, and incur lower economic losses following cyclones. The benefits of SLM become even more pronounced in more extended implementations, especially coping with increased storm intensity and steeper slopes.
When addressing land degradation through SLM, it is essential to consider feedback mechanisms that influence other environmental crises. For instance, land-use practices can reduce GHG emissions and enhance ecosystem resilience due to the reduction of agrochemicals, also contributing to minimizing soil contamination and protecting groundwater by reducing runoff nutrient loss. One of the objectives of these practices is to promote the integration of native species, which further contributes to biodiversity conservation and overall ecosystem health.
Sustainable land management in agriculture and livestock systems
SLM also looks to integrate technologies with social, economic, and political enabling conditions. Modern farming systems are informed by both scientific research and local or traditional knowledge. Before the advent of modern nutrient sources, farmers used to maintain soil fertility by preventing runoff and erosion and managing nutrients through vegetation residues and manure. Re-establishing and implementing technology based on ancestral knowledge of nature can provide an alternative production route that promotes food security.
Agricultural sustainable practices include:
- Development and promotion of drought- and heat-tolerant crop varieties;
- Implementation of cover techniques such as crop rotation, cover cropping, intercropping, and reduced or no-till farming; and
- Adoption of precision irrigation by utilizing remote sensing and machine learning, as well as rainwater harvesting and wastewater reuse.
These practices help rebuild soil organic matter, improve water retention, and enhance biodiversity. Farmers can create more resilient systems that adapt to climate pressures and sequester carbon, thereby mitigating climate change.
Considering predictions on future food needs, the dietary shift is a key variable in how much food is required by 2050. Reducing meat intake will contribute to sustainability, with the co-benefit of improved public health; however, eliminating meat consumption may not be realistic or beneficial for all. On the one hand, producing less meat can lower emissions and reduce pressure on land and water resources, fostering more sustainable land use. On the other hand, meat provides high-quality protein, essential vitamins, and minerals, which are critical in many diets, particularly in regions with limited alternative sources. Moreover, livestock farming supports millions of farmers and pastoral communities, especially in areas where alternative agricultural practices are challenging. Livestock production can enhance soil fertility, sequester carbon, and contribute to biodiversity when managed sustainably. Meat production can be part of a regenerative agricultural model that benefits the environment and local economies.
Sustainable livestock practices focus on managing animal grazing in ways that restore and enhance soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience. Specific practices include: rotational grazing, allowing vegetation to recover between grazing periods; integrating livestock with crop production, facilitating natural nutrient recycling; promoting native pasture species to support local ecosystem dynamics; and implementing genetic management strategies to maintain livestock diversity and resilience. These practices improve soil organic matter and water retention, reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers, and enhance overall farm sustainability. In addition, they support balanced ecosystems that can better withstand climate variability and pest pressures.
Partnerships for food security
Current global environmental crises demand transformative changes to secure a sustainable future. Multilateral organizations, governments, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are vital to implement SLM. Society urgently needs to address the global environmental crises by redirecting its efforts and changing our relationship with nature, from exploitation to transformation of society’s social and economic fabric into a synergetic coexistence. Addressing global environmental crises must prioritize human well-being and accelerate progress toward the SDGs. In particular, global agreements should be strengthened to recognize food security as a primary priority, acknowledging that food is a basic human need and that the natural processes essential for its production are irreplaceable.
Indigenous cultural values and nature-respecting practices offer valuable insights into how collective behaviors can holistically support sustainability. Many ancient farming systems – such as raised-field Milpa agriculture in Mexico, tropical forest gardens in Southeast Asia and Central America, terraced agriculture in East Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Mediterranean basin, and integrated rice and fish cultivation in East Asia – remained sustainable for centuries or even millennia. Key measures include mobilizing resources for research directed to implement innovative technologies to upscale sustainable agriculture practices, develop sustainable infrastructure in all sectors, and support smallholder farmers and Indigenous food systems to adapt and thrive. Essential initiatives should include: horizontal knowledge sharing between different sectors, academia, governments, stakeholders, and society; technology transfer, including international collaboration to facilitate data sharing and coordinated policy implementation; and farmer and society education.
Way forward
Global environmental crises pose significant challenges to global food production. Addressing them is essential to ensure food security, particularly in the most vulnerable communities, whose livelihoods depend primarily on their agricultural systems. While these crises represent serious risks, they also create opportunities for technological innovation and transformation and a change of paradigm in our relationship with nature.
A coordinated global effort – linking policy, science, Indigenous knowledge, and local action – is essential to build a more sustainable and equitable food system. Support for research, policy incentives, and public education on sustainable food systems will help consumers make balanced and informed choices.
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Dr. Dulce Flores‐Rentería is Professor, SECIHTI-Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politecnico Nacional (Mexico) and IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land Lead Author for Chapter 4, ‘Soil Degradation.’
This article was written for Perry World House’s 2025 Conference, ‘Feeding a Climate Changed World.’ This meeting was made possible in part by a generous grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The views expressed are solely the author’s and do not reflect those of Perry World House, the University of Pennsylvania, or the Carnegie Corporation of New York.