NATURAL CAPITALISM

This report chapter examines the ecological and economic failures of industrial agriculture and proposes a transition toward 'natural capitalism' in food production. It argues that while industrial methods increased raw output, they did so by depleting natural capital—specifically soil health and genetic diversity—and creating a chemical dependency that threatens long-term food security and climate stability. The text advocates for a shift toward biological farming, perennial polycultures, and ecosystem-based livestock management to restore soil carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

• Industrial agriculture has achieved high raw output through intensification, but returns are diminishing and yields are becoming more volatile, particularly in developing countries.
• The U.S. agricultural system is characterized by extreme energy inefficiency and a high reliance on fossil fuels, with food often transported an average of 1,300 miles.
• Severe soil degradation is occurring globally; in the U.S., topsoil is eroding up to 17 times faster than it forms, and a third of original topsoil is already gone.
• Global food security is threatened by a dangerously narrow genetic base, with three-quarters of the world's food coming from only seven crop species.
• Conventional pesticide use has failed to reduce crop losses; in the U.S., insecticide use increased nearly 20-fold since 1948, yet total crop losses are 2 percent higher than before the era of synthetic pesticides.
• Agriculture contributes approximately 25% of the risk of altering the earth's climate, largely through the mobilization of soil carbon and emissions of nitrous oxide and methane.
• Transitioning to organic or low-input practices could reverse carbon losses; U.S. cropland alone could potentially offset 8–17% of U.S. carbon emissions.
• Alternative farming models, such as biointensive minifarming and perennial polycultures, can significantly reduce land, water, and energy requirements while maintaining high nutrient yields.

APA

RMI (n.d.). NATURAL CAPITALISM. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_NCchapter10.pdf

Chicago

RMI. NATURAL CAPITALISM. n.d. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_NCchapter10.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=NATURAL CAPITALISM |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_NCchapter10.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmindnatural, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{NATURAL CAPITALISM}}, institution = {RMI}, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_NCchapter10.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }