EAT-Lancet in Action: What Does Sustainable Intensification Look Like?

What is agricultural intensification? 

In the early 20th century, it seemed like an inevitability that the world would run out of food. Advances in medicine and sanitation meant the global population was rising at unprecedented rates. Until then, the only way to increase food production had been to convert more land for agriculture, but by the 1900s, most of the world’s fertile land was already being farmed.  

As Henry Dimbleby explains in the opening chapter of Ravenous (2023), it was an American named Norman Borlaug who took it upon himself to solve this problem. With a background in plant pathology, he began to work on breeding a strain of wheat that would have high yields but also be resistant to a fungal disease particular to Mexico, where he was based.  

Before Borlaug embarked on this project, Mexico imported 60% of its wheat. By the time he was done, the country was completely self-sufficient in wheat production. Borlaug’s crossbreeding technique was soon replicated across the world, not only for wheat but for other staple crops like corn and rice. Combined with the invention of chemical pesticides and fertilisers, and improved irrigation techniques, this ushered in a new era of highly productive farming.  

As a direct result of Borlaug’s discovery, the world now produces around 50% more calories than is needed per capita. “For the first time in history, the increase in food production, and in calories harvested per person, has massively outstripped the additional land being farmed,” writes Dimbleby. Dubbed the ‘Green Revolution’, this incredible advancement saved billions from starvation. Unfortunately, it has also wreaked havoc on our planet and our health. 

The problems with agricultural intensification 

To date, the model for intensification has focused on yield above all else. While this system has done an outstanding job of providing enough food, it has done so at the expense of our environment and our health. Industrial agriculture has swallowed up more and more land, demolishing forests while degrading soil, polluting waterways, largely ignoring animal welfare considerations and devastating natural biodiversity.  

At the same time, while we technically produce enough food to feed everyone in the world, we do a terrible job at distributing this food fairly: in 2024, 673 million people went hungry for at least part of the year. In some ways, this can be seen as progress; 55 years ago, one in four people around the world went hungry. That said, the fact that there is no actual shortage of food also makes our situation a dismal failure.  

Even in countries where people have access to sufficient calorie intake, nutrition is still not what it should be. In many of the wealthiest parts in the world, our diets are the leading cause of avoidable diseases like Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The bias towards these high-yield crop varieties has also stripped a huge amount of diversity from our diets: through human history, 6,000–7,000 species have been cultivated for food, but today we grow just 170 crops on a commercially significant scale. More than 40% of calories worldwide come from just three plants — rice, wheat and maize — but diverse diets remain crucial for our health.  

The challenge now is to reform our approach to agriculture, farming in ways that produce plenty of food while also protecting our planet and supporting better health. So, what does this look like in practice — and how can hospitality help? 

What does sustainable intensification look like? 

In sustainable intensification, the goal is to produce more food without converting any additional land for agriculture and while eliminating negative environmental impacts. By simultaneously improving soil health and supporting biodiversity, sustainable intensification will build strong, resilient food systems. 

The science behind the EAT-Lancet report proves that what is good for our bodies and good for the planet are one and the same. Focusing on sustainable intensification will enable us to provide healthy, nourishing food to everyone across the globe while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions, supporting biodiversity, restoring fertility to our soils and protecting our waterways. 

The core tenets of sustainable intensification are: 

Sustainable intensification does not mandate a single set of technologies or practices. Instead, it emphasises the desired outcomes (more food, less environmental damage) and allows scope for a variety of approaches to achieve them.  

What we need now is to build demand for foods grown in ways that meet the above conditions, enabling farmers and producers to lead the way towards a revolution that is truly green. 

What does this mean for chefs and restaurants? 

Hospitality businesses can support sustainable intensification in the following ways.