Identifying the safe operating space for food systems
Sofie Te Wierik1,2, Fabrice DeClerck3,4, Arthur Beusen5,6
1Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, Germany. sofietewierik@gmail.com.
Nature Food
|November 1, 2025
Summary
Global food systems are pushing planetary boundaries, impacting biodiversity and Earth's stability. Operating within safe limits requires significant reductions in emissions and agricultural impacts.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Ecology
- Sustainability Science
Background:
- Global food systems exert immense pressure on the planet's resources and ecosystems.
- The safe operating space for food systems, relative to planetary boundaries, remains undefined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify food system boundaries as fractions of planetary boundaries.
- To propose Earth system budgets for food systems across nine critical boundaries.
Main Methods:
- Calculated food system boundaries based on their share of planetary boundaries.
- Defined nine key boundaries relevant to food system impacts.
Main Results:
- Food systems are major drivers of transgressed planetary boundaries, dominating four (biosphere integrity, land-system change, freshwater change, biogeochemical flows).
- Food systems strongly contribute to transgressions in climate change and novel entities.
- Global food systems currently exceed all nine defined food system boundaries.
Conclusions:
- Achieving a safe operating space necessitates substantial greenhouse gas emission reductions.
- Halting agricultural conversion of natural habitats is crucial.
- Optimizing fertilizer and pesticide/antibiotic use, alongside preserving freshwater flows, is essential without compromising yields.
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