Can You Both Feed the World and Save the Planet?
By Thin Lei Win
Originally Published on Reuters
MILAN (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Innovations in agriculture could feed a growing, hungry world without destroying the planet, a top official of the largest maker of seeds and pesticides told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Monday.
Practices such as cultivating plants that benefit the soil during the off season and leaving land untilled could store carbon-dioxide (CO2) in the ground, said Liam Condon, head of the crop science division for German conglomerate Bayer.
“Within this year, we want to come out with concrete goals and suggestions about how we would get there, what it would take and how we can measure progress,” Condon said on the sidelines of a food industry conference in the Italian city of Milan.
“I’m totally convinced (carbon-neutral farming) is feasible, but it will require a massive effort… and no single company or institution or government will be able to do this alone,” he added.
