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Meeting global challenges with regenerative agriculture producing food and energy

Nature Sustainability volume 5, pages 384–388 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

The world currently faces a suite of urgent challenges: environmental degradation, diminished biodiversity, climate change and persistent poverty and associated injustices. All of these challenges can be addressed to a large extent through agriculture. A dichotomy expressed as ‘food versus fuel’ has misled thinking and hindered needed action towards building agricultural systems in ways that are regenerative, biodiverse, climate resilient, equitable and economically sustainable. Here we offer examples of agricultural systems that meet the urgent needs while also producing food and energy. We call for refocused conversation and united action towards rapidly deploying such systems across biophysical and socioeconomic settings.

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Fig. 1: Diverse, coupled, circular food and energy systems provide more value to society.

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Acknowledgements

L.A.S., M.L., T.L.R., R.C.B. and J.G.A. were supported by USDA-NIFA (2020-68012-31824). L.A.S. was further supported by the McIntire-Stennis Program (IOW5534). B.B. and B.E.D. were supported by DOE (DE-SC0018409; DE-FC02-07ER64494) and USDA-NIFA (2015-68007-23133; 2018-67003-27406). G.M.S. was supported by FAPESP BIOEN Program grant Proc. 2018/16098-3. N.H. and B.B were supported by NSF (DEB-1832042).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management and Bioeconomy Institute, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

    Lisa A. Schulte

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA

    Bruce E. Dale

  3. Biogas Refinery Development srl, Cittadella, Italy

    Stefano Bozzetto

  4. Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

    Matt Liebman

  5. Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Glaucia M. Souza

  6. Kellogg Biological Station and Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI, USA

    Nick Haddad

  7. Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and Institutes of Energy and the Environment, Penn State University, State College, PA, USA

    Tom L. Richard

  8. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA

    Bruno Basso

  9. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Bioeconomy Institute, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

    Robert C. Brown

  10. Ingeniería Rural Centro, Investigación Agroindustria INTA, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Jorge A. Hilbert

  11. Department of Sociology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

    J. Gordon Arbuckle

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  1. Lisa A. Schulte
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  2. Bruce E. Dale
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Contributions

L.A.S. and B.E.D. conceptualized and wrote the original draft. All authors contributed to writing and editing subsequent drafts.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lisa A. Schulte.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Nature Sustainability thanks Lee Lynd, Frank Rosillo-Calle and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Schulte, L.A., Dale, B.E., Bozzetto, S. et al. Meeting global challenges with regenerative agriculture producing food and energy. Nat Sustain 5, 384–388 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00827-y

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