Increasing population and consumption are placing unprecedented demands on agriculture and natural resources.
Today, approximately a billion people are chronically malnourished while our agricultural systems are concurrently
degrading land, water, biodiversity and climate on a global scale. To meet the world’s future food security and
sustainability needs, food production must grow substantially while, at the same time, agriculture’s environmental
footprint must shrink dramatically. Here we analyse solutions to this dilemma, showing that tremendous progress
could be made by halting agricultural expansion, closing ‘yield gaps’ on underperforming lands, increasing cropping
efficiency, shifting diets and reducing waste. Together, these strategies could double food production while greatly
reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture.