Land is defined as a system engaged in generating biological productivity. It is the earth’s infrastructure for life. The rate and quality of production generated from the land depends on its major components, soil and its fertility. Soil organic matter, derived from the vegetation supported by a particular soil, is the major component that controls soil fertility.

The message in this short, yet stark sentence highlights a phenomenon that farmers, particularly in marginalized dryland areas, have been experiencing for years – the threat of desertification and climate change to their lives. Carbon sequestration, however, serves a dual purpose to remedy this threat. Firstly, global warming can be mitigated significantly by removing atmospheric carbon dioxide and sequestering it in soil. Secondly, increased carbon in the soil has great value as a food-producing asset.

Ce message pessimiste met en évidence un phénomène que les agriculteurs des zones arides marginales connaissent depuis des années, là où la désertification et le changement climatique sont une menace concrète. La séquestration du carbone peut cependant être un moyen de lutte efficace : d’une part, elle permet d'atténuer de façon significative le réchauffement planétaire en transférant dans les sols le CO2 atmosphérique ; d'autre part, le carbone ainsi stocké dans le sol constitue une ressource importante des processus de production alimentaire.

Esta cita subraya un fenómeno que los agricultures, particularmente los de las áreas secas marginadas, llevan años experimentando: la amenaza de la desertificación y el cambio climático para sus vidas. El secuestro de carbono, sin embargo, tiene una doble utilidad para revertir esta amenaza: en primer lugar, el calentamiento global puede ser mitigado significativamente mediante la eliminación del dióxido de carbono de la atmósfera y su secuestro en el suelo; en segundo lugar, el aumento de carbono en el suelo tiene un gran valor como activo para la producción de alimento.

Climate change demands new approaches to agriculture: farmers’ practices will need to change to adapt to and mitigate the effects of changing conditions. Addressing gender inequality is key to ensuring this outcome. Agriculture is a fundamental part of women’s livelihoods globally, most markedly in least developed countries, where four-fifths of economically active women report agriculture as their primary economic activity1 . More women are moving into agriculture as men move elsewhere for seasonal or paid labor.

In response to changing urban food systems, short supply chains have been advocated to meet urban food needs while building more sustainable urban food systems. Despite an increasing interest in urban food supply and the flows of food from production to consumption, there is a lack of empirical studies and methodologies which systematically analyse the actual proportion and nutritional significance of local and regional food supplied to urban markets.

In response to changing urban food systems, short supply chains have been advocated to meet urban food needs while building more sustainable urban food systems. Despite an increasing interest in urban food supply and the flows of food from production to consumption, there is a lack of empirical studies and methodologies which systematically analyse the actual proportion and nutritional significance of local and regional food supplied to urban markets.

Global food demand is increasing rapidly, as are the environmental impacts of agricultural expansion. Here, we project global demand for crop production in 2050 and evaluate the environmental impacts of alternative ways that this demand might be met. We find that per capita demand for crops, when measured as caloric or protein content of all crops combined, has been a similarly increasing function of per capita real income since 1960. This relationship forecasts a 100–110% increase in global crop demand from 2005 to 2050.