PRESS :: Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 23, 2009

Sustainable Agricultural System Boosts Food, Biofuel, and Ecosystem Services Production

A study published in the June 2009 issue of AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment details a new approach to farming that is superior to conventional farming in that it produces food and energy sustainably and increases ecosystem services (ES), such as water supply, soil formation, and pollination.

Agro-ecosystems cover about one third of the Earth’s land surface and are responsible for producing food, energy, and ES. Poor agricultural practices have contributed to a decline in ES, which are crucial to the health of the planet and the existence of its inhabitants. There has been a call worldwide to address this problem.

A combined food and energy program was begun in 1995 at an experimental farm in Denmark, where 45% of the land was used to grow food crops, 45% was used to grow pasture fodder, and 10% was used to grow biofuels in the form of fast-growing trees. Both organic and sustainable farming methods were applied; the system produced more energy in the form of renewable biomass than was used in the production of the food and fodder.

The measured value of the program’s ES was found to exceed that associated with conventional farming methods. The researchers obtained similar results when they estimated the value of ES in other European Union countries. Furthermore, they found that the value of ES was greater than the amount of money spent on conventional farming subsidies.

This in-depth, long-term study offers a way to undo some of the damage caused by harmful, unsustainable agricultural systems. The new system will address the growing world energy crisis by providing renewable energy in the form of biofuels. In addition, governments will be able to reduce the amount of farm subsidies needed, freeing up these funds for other programs.

Governments, farmers, and other environmental stakeholders should use this organic and sustainable food, biofuel, and ES agro-ecosystem as a model for future agricultural activities.

To read the entire study, “The Value of Producing Food, Energy, and Ecosystem Services within an Agro-Ecosystem” (2009, Vol. 38(4):186-193), visit the  website.

About AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment
AMBIO is a nonprofit publication of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences that addresses the scientific, social, economic, and cultural factors that influence the condition of the human environment. Founded in 1972, the year of the first UN Conference on the Environment, held in Stockholm, Sweden, the journal covers such subjects as ecology, environmental economics, geology, geochemistry, geophysics, paleontology, hydrology, water resources, oceanography, earth sciences, meteorology, and physical geography. For more information, visit  our   website.

Media Contact:
Robin Barker
Allen Press, Inc.
800/627-0326 ext. 410
rbarker@allenpress.com

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