LAUSR

Worldwide, the area identified as “organic agriculture” comprises ca. 72.3 million hectares, with an average yearly growth of 10%. In 2019 the global market of organic foods and drinks reached more than 106 billion euros (FAO 2021). With this area and growth, organic agriculture is already an important player in global food production. Nevertheless, the positive environmental effects of organic farming are less evident when considering food production in kilograms rather than per hectare of cultivated land, mostly because of lower crop yields due to several factors. This leads to the necessity of more land in the case of organic farming, compared to the traditional way, to obtain a similar amount of food as an output (Willer et al., 2021). In general, regulations of organic production exist under the umbrella of a larger framework of public policies aimed at the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices and the conservation of agroecosystems, focused on food and nutritional security of the population, fairer trade relations, and conscious consumption. Agriculture is heavily affected by the climate crisis, while also representing one of the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions (UNF 2021). The internationally recognized greenhouse gasses covered under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and carbon monoxide (CO). The Gas Emission Estimation System (SEEG 2022) shows that agriculture has a prominent role in the emissions of those greenhouse gasses, especially CH4 and N2O. The world population is predicted to reach 9.7 billion in 2050 (United Nations 2019). According to the World Hunger Clock, in March 2022, approximately 2.4 billion people live in moderate and severe food insecurity. That food production must increase in order to fight this foreseen insecurity is self-evident, but this needs to be done while also ensuring the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Incorporating new technologies is one major way of reaching this objective and helping to solve the climate crisis. OPEN ACCESS