Tomorrow's Approach: Food Production and Ecosystem Conservation in a Changing Climate

The document examines the conflict between increasing food production to meet a growing global population and the degradation of ecosystem services. It argues that the current model of enhancing a few food services at the expense of others is unsustainable and risks irreversible tipping points. The authors propose two primary solutions: a risk-assessment tool to integrate climate and ecosystem risks into decision-making, and a three-pronged strategy to reconcile food and conservation by restoring degraded lands, increasing productivity on existing farms, and managing food demand.

• Food production is a primary driver of ecosystem degradation, with 40% of Earth's land cover managed for pasture and crop production. This focus has improved human well-being but degraded most other ecosystem services, such as freshwater and pollination.
• The document identifies specific examples of food-driven degradation: 43% of tropical/subtropical and 45% of temperate forests have been converted to croplands, and agriculture accounts for 70% of global freshwater use.
• Climate change and food production pressures may push ecosystems toward irreversible tipping points. For example, the Brazilian Amazon could transition into savanna-like vegetation due to deforestation and climate change, which would devastate regional agriculture.
• Global food demand is expected to double within the next 40 years due to population growth and rising per capita incomes, further intensifying the pressure to expand agriculture into natural ecosystems.
• To reconcile food production and conservation, the authors suggest restoring degraded lands, noting that over one billion hectares globally have restoration potential for human use.
• The paper proposes a transition to a 'Tomorrow's approach' where conservation is an integral part of food production, focusing on managing a bundle of ecosystem services, increasing productivity on existing land, and managing both food supply and demand.

APA

Hanson'], [. R. '. (2010). Tomorrow's Approach: Food Production and Ecosystem Conservation in a Changing Climate. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/wrr-2010-11-question-4-response-4.pdf

Chicago

Hanson'], ['Janet Ranganathan', 'Craig. Tomorrow's Approach: Food Production and Ecosystem Conservation in a Changing Climate. World Resources Institute, 2010. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/wrr-2010-11-question-4-response-4.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hanson'] |first1=['Janet Ranganathan', 'Craig |title=Tomorrow's Approach: Food Production and Ecosystem Conservation in a Changing Climate |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=2010 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/wrr-2010-11-question-4-response-4.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hanson2010tomorrows, author = {Hanson'], ['Janet Ranganathan', 'Craig}, title = {{Tomorrow's Approach: Food Production and Ecosystem Conservation in a Changing Climate}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2010}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/wrr-2010-11-question-4-response-4.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }