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A global clustering of terrestrial food production systems.

Authors :
Jung, Martin
Boucher, Timothy M.
Wood, Stephen A.
Folberth, Christian
Wironen, Michael
Thornton, Philip
Bossio, Deborah
Obersteiner, Michael
Source :
PLoS ONE; 2/14/2024, Vol. 19 Issue 2, p1-21, 21p
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Food production is at the heart of global sustainability challenges, with unsustainable practices being a major driver of biodiversity loss, emissions and land degradation. The concept of foodscapes, defined as the characteristics of food production along biophysical and socio-economic gradients, could be a way addressing those challenges. By identifying homologues foodscapes classes possible interventions and leverage points for more sustainable agriculture could be identified. Here we provide a globally consistent approximation of the world's foodscape classes. We integrate global data on biophysical and socio-economic factors to identify a minimum set of emergent clusters and evaluate their characteristics, vulnerabilities and risks with regards to global change factors. Overall, we find food production globally to be highly concentrated in a few areas. Worryingly, we find particularly intensively cultivated or irrigated foodscape classes to be under considerable climatic and degradation risks. Our work can serve as baseline for global-scale zoning and gap analyses, while also revealing homologous areas for possible agricultural interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
19326203
Volume :
19
Issue :
2
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
PLoS ONE
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
175442157
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296846