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Experts say that more efficient farming systems remain the surest bet for overcoming climate change and ensuring the sustainability of food production around the world.
They observe that the population is growing while natural resources such as land and water remain limited, innovations are needed to help sustain life, especially in the field of agriculture.
"When we look at climate reports, agriculture is considered one quarter of the drivers of climate change. Essentially livestock, deforestation and land use changes … But what if farmers could be heroes? And if agriculture could help us defeat climate change? Said Ramez Naam, co-chair of Singularity University, at the Alltech Ideas conference in Lexington – Kentucky, USA.
He added that the introduction of technology and innovation already reduced the impact of agriculture on the environment, but that there was still much work to be done .
Naam pointed out that the yield per acre of corn and other crops has almost tripled since 1960.
"It happens with all cultures. And that means we are saving land. Around the world, the land used to feed each person has decreased by about half since the 1960s. We do more with less or the same thing, "he observed.
He added that the world should stay on the path of increasing innovation to preserve the planet.
"There has to be a way to digitize farms (we need better seeds, better practices, more accurate farming with inputs, better feed, a better better tracking of yields, all this would allow us to produce more food with the same land and less water, "said Naam.
By 2050, food production must increase by 60 to 80 percent to feed the world. But water resources and land are exhausting. Naam said new ideas are needed for the future to ensure a secure world and a healthy planet.
"Our planet is over, but our ability to innovate is infinite. And the right idea, the right technology, the good experiences can increase the value of the land; and increase the amount of food we grow per acre and per drop of water, "he said.
"Good technology and the right idea can replace scarce resources; it can make us all better. The idea is this natural resource that we have more and more over time, not less, "he concluded.
The Alltech Ideas Conference – in its 35 yearsth is an annual event organized by the agribusiness company Alltech. It brings together nearly 4,000 people from more than 70 countries to explore innovation, inspiration and ideas that are changing the world.
Dr. Frank Mitloehner from the University of California-Davis said at the conference that it was about tackling climate change; "Agriculture and farmers are the solutions, not the problem; it is our job to educate the mbades about the truth about agricultural emissions. "
He pointed out that fossil fuels are fueling climate change far more than agriculture, explaining that their use in the United States produces 11% of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions, while the United American agriculture produces only 1.1%.
He described allegations of misinformation that agriculture is the world's leading factor of climate change.
Mr. Frank Mitloehner observed that the efficiency of agricultural productivity contributes to further reducing the impact of agriculture on climate change. He explained that in 1940, there were 140 million head of beef in the United States, but today it is only 90 million.
This means that emissions of greenhouse gases produced by livestock are decreasing.
"Notably, however, the same amount of beef (24 million tonnes) was produced in 1970 and in 2010, which means that over the years, we started producing the same amount of meat with less livestock, "he explained.
"This is due to the improvement of fertility, health and genetics … we should focus on better and more efficient livestock health than on its elimination," he said.
Alltech's President and CEO, Dr. Mark Lyons, has tasked the industry to play its part in helping to limit the impact of agriculture on the environment and the environment. has engaged his company in this direction.
"We must move forward. As a society; we will not wait for the government to set guidelines on climate change, "he told a press conference at the conference.
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