The agri-food sector is responsible for feeding the 8.2 billion people who currently inhabit the planet. These companies pride themselves on yields and margins – i.e. producing more, with less. That pride is justified, given high volumes and low prices are exactly what those 8.2 billion consumers have historically demanded of them.
Importantly, these companies – encompassing all stages of food production, from farming and processing to distribution and consumption – also pride themselves on innovation and quickly finding solutions to difficult problems.
In the context of widespread environmental degradation, companies in the agri-food sector must now focus their innovative spirit towards production that takes the health of the environment into account, as much as it does yield and margin. They must work towards production systems that restore, rather than degrade, nature.
In this article, Sustainability Advisor Sophie Schlachter explains the impacts of agrifood production on nature, and it’s dependencies on healthy ecosystems – and how connected planning tools can help agri-food businesses innovate to achieve the dual goals of improving nature-related outcomes, and building organisational resilience and sustainability.
Impacts on nature from agri-food production
The modern agri-food sector places pressure on the very ecological systems it relies on for production. Companies participating in the sector should focus their nature-positive strategies on the following impacts of their businesses:
- Freshwater extraction and consumption results in water scarcity, ecological imbalance, environmental degradation and the depletion of freshwater ecosystems.
- Land use change and degradation contributes to biodiversity loss, deforestation, soil degradation and can negatively affect stored carbon,
- Pollution of freshwater, land and air is caused by the overuse of fertiliser and pesticides, the fuels and feed inputs to intensive cropping and animal production, fossil fuel use for transport and refrigeration, and packaging waste.
- Greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and threaten all ecological systems. Significant sources include livestock production, land conversion and deforestation, fertiliser production and application, and fuels for processing and transportation.
Agri-business dependencies on ecosystems and natural assets
Like many sectors, the agri-food system relies on healthy, balanced ecosystems to function and be productive. In particular, this sector relies on:
- Freshwater in both sufficient quantity and quality, to produce crops, water animals, maintain soil health and for washing and processing.
- Land and soil quality to optimise crop and animal growth, protect against erosion/floods/storms, and provide pest and drought resilience.
- Pollination for both animal feed crops and consumer crops that yield fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
- Disease and pest control provided quietly by nature to regulate diseases and pest populations – and essential ensuring food security and maintaining productivity.
- Climate regulation created through the long-term storage of carbon dioxide in soils and biomass, which optimises plant growth, improves crop yields, protects against extreme weather and ensures the long-term sustainability of the food system.
Sustainability actions and opportunities for the agri-food sector
Agri-food sector companies must focus on their key impact areas, to rapidly reduce the degradation of the natural systems their businesses rely on. This could include:
- Reducing freshwater use
- Avoiding, reducing and removing greenhouse emissions across the entire value chain
- Avoiding the degradation and increasing the regeneration of land and ecosystems
- Promoting circularity and sustainable innovation
- Engagement across the supply chain to collaborate, educate, support and advocate for nature-positive agriculture.
How Zooss Consulting can help
Innovating to create a more nature-positive food system – including its inputs, production, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal – is a complex task.
Agri-sector businesses planning for the uptake of change across their business will require dynamic modelling, solid data foundations, and cross-functional engagement across their organisations.
Zooss Consulting specialises in bringing clarity to planning using data analytics, joining the dots to form the insights that influence better decision-making. We support our customers to achieve the dual goals of improving nature-related outcomes, and building organisational resilience and sustainability.
We have pioneered a new approach that we call Sustainable Business Planning. By integrating financial, environmental and social data, we empower coordinated action and enable more sustainable business for our customers.
Sustainable Business Planning has the power to deliver better outcomes for organisations, people, and our planet.
Find out more
- Sustainable Business Planning – Our Solutions
- Moving beyond the “take, make and waste” model of production and consumption – and towards a Circular Economy
- Ready to start planning sustainably? Contact us.
About the author – Sophie Schlachter, Sustainability Advisor
Sophie holds a Master of Sustainability from the University of Sydney and has worked across regenerative agriculture and waste management sectors, including for OzHarvest and the Taronga Zoo Conservation Society. Sophie is experienced in business and sustainability analytics, and is passionate about enabling sustainable business that balances profit with positive environmental and social outcomes.
Better Planning. Better Planet.