Sustainability in Focus

As the world prepares to feed nearly 10 billion people by 2050, the demand for productive land is soaring. The FAO estimates we will need 69 million additional hectares of cropland by 2050 (Alexandratos & Bruinsma, 2012), aligning with projections from multiple global modelling studies (Le Mouël & Forslund, 2017; Hertel et al., 2016; Tilman et al., 2011).

Yet the very foundation of food security—our soil—is degrading at an alarming pace.

🔸 Global biophysical models show soil erosion may rise by 30–66% between 2015 and 2070 under varying climate-economic scenarios (Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092180092300366X).
🔸 Scientists warn that 24 billion tons of fertile soil are lost every year, driven largely by unsustainable agricultural practices (Source: https://earth.org/95-of-the-earths-soil-on-course-to-be-degraded-by-2050).
🔸 Every second, soil equivalent to four football fields becomes degraded—translating into nearly 5,000 kg (≈4 × 1.32 acres ≈ 2 hectares → nearly 5,000 kg of paddy lost, assuming an average yield of ~2,500 kg/ha) of potential paddy lost each second.

If we continue on this trajectory, productivity gaps will widen, farmer livelihoods will weaken, and the global food system will be severely strained.