According to the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the food production systems historically used by humans are far from reflecting the biophysical potential of ecosystems.

The experts said that boreal and tropical forests should be preserved or reforested due to their excellent carbon dioxide (CO2) storage capacity, instead of being used as farmland for cultivation or grazing.

“Temperate latitudes would have to serve as croplands rather than pastures. This would compensate for the loss of surface area due to the reforestation of tropical and boreal woodlands,” the specialists stressed.

Meanwhile, tropical and subtropical savannahs and grasslands would have to be used as pastures and to harvest cereals, fruits and vegetables.

Scientists warn that food is not being produced in places where it would be most efficient in terms of surface use, water consumption and CO2 emissions.

However, man continues deforestation and the precious liquid is wasted in arid fields.

Experts from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the University of Heidelberg, Germany, found that spatial reorganization alone would increase food production by an average of 83 percent, water availability by eight, and food storage capacity by three percent.

With this method, land use in different regions would be advantageous or optimal, the researchers said.

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