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Journal Article

Identifying the safe operating space for food systems

Authors
/persons/resource/sofie.te.wierik

te Wierik,  Sofie       
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;
Submitting Corresponding Author, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

DeClerck,  Fabrice
External Organizations;

Beusen,  Arthur
External Organizations;

/persons/resource/Dieter.Gerten

Gerten,  Dieter       
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

Maggi,  Federico
External Organizations;

/persons/resource/anna.norberg

Norberg,  Anna       
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

Noone,  Kevin
External Organizations;

Schulte-Uebbing,  Lena
External Organizations;

Springmann,  Marco
External Organizations;

Tang,  Fiona H. M.
External Organizations;

de Vries,  Wim
External Organizations;

van Vuuren,  Detlef
External Organizations;

Vermeulen,  Sonja
External Organizations;

/persons/resource/johan.rockstrom

Rockström,  Johan       
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

External Resource

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15807875
(Research data)

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Fulltext (public)

33175oa.pdf
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Citation

te Wierik, S., DeClerck, F., Beusen, A., Gerten, D., Maggi, F., Norberg, A., Noone, K., Schulte-Uebbing, L., Springmann, M., Tang, F. H. M., de Vries, W., van Vuuren, D., Vermeulen, S., Rockström, J. (2025 online): Identifying the safe operating space for food systems. - Nature Food.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-025-01252-6


Cite as: https://publications.pik-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_33175
Abstract
Global environmental pressures from food systems threaten biodiversity and the stability of the Earth system, yet the safe operating space for food systems is unknown. Here we calculate food system boundaries as shares of planetary boundaries, proposing budgets for the food system across nine boundaries. Our results indicate that food systems are a critical driver of planetary boundary transgressions, dominating at least four transgressed boundaries (that is, biosphere integrity, land system change, freshwater change and biogeochemical flows) while strongly contributing to the transgression of two more (that is, climate change and novel entities). Moreover, global food systems are currently beyond all nine food system boundaries; moving to the safe operating space requires reducing related greenhouse gas emissions substantially, halting the conversion of intact nature to agriculture, redistributing fertilizer inputs, limiting pesticide and antibiotic use, and preserving critical freshwater flows without negatively affecting yields.