Abstract
Even optimistic assumptions about population growth, agricultural productivity, and potentially available cropland produce a grim image for the future food security and sovereignty of many developing countries, in particular in sub-Saharan Africa. Here, we review literature and datasets on the current and future state of food security, with focus on Africa, and propose a plan of ten interconnected actions to create sustainable, circular, and local food systems to feed a global population between 11.2 and 16.6 billion people in 2100. In particular, we focus on “action number 10”: landless food systems in combination with land-based food production, using modern “organic agricultural strategies.” The concept shall be applicable to the needs and conditions in low-income countries with high population densities and small-scale farming systems, as expected in sub-Saharan Africa in 2100. We designed the concept “LandLessFood” with research recommendations for a circular bioreactor-based system of “calorie food and feed.” Our aim is to “replace one hectare of cropland with one square meter of bioreactor space.” Released cropland can and has to be used for “quality food” production to have enough, healthy, and affordable food for everyone on the earth in the year 2100.
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Rahmann, G., Grimm, D., Kuenz, A. et al. Combining land-based organic and landless food production: a concept for a circular and sustainable food chain for Africa in 2100. Org. Agr. 10, 9–21 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-019-00247-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-019-00247-5