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Circular food production and plant-based proteins essential in tackling the biodiversity and climate crisis
Circular food systems and increased consumption of plant-based proteins can improve global food security while reducing biodiversity loss, climate change, and other environmental impacts. In Europe, this approach could cut land use and greenhouse gas emissions by around two-thirds, with similar benefits possible globally. These findings come from the PhD research of Wolfram Simon and Felipe Cozim Melges, featured in Nature Biodiversity and Nature Food.
Between 2020 and 2024, Wolfram Simon and Felipe Cozim Melges conducted their doctoral research within the chair group Farming Systems Ecology. Their studies focus on the environmental benefits of circular food production and the protein transition, utilising the Circular Food Systems model (CiFoS) to better understand the complexities of food systems. In their dissertations, Wolfram Simon and Felipe Cozim Melges demonstrate that an integrated approach to food systems—one that promotes biomass recycling and plant-based diets—yields significant benefits for land use, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity, both in Europe and globally.
Promoting biodiversity
In his doctoral research, Felipe Cozim Melges focused on opportunities to promote biodiversity within circular food systems. By employing soil- and ecosystem-friendly techniques, such as no-till farming, organic fertilisation, and natural buffer zones, biodiversity can be enhanced both above and below ground. In circular systems, Cozim Melges observes that the choice between land sparing and land sharing has a profound impact on biodiversity. “A land sparing strategy reduces land use by 81% in Europe but offers limited direct benefits for biodiversity on and around farmland. A land sharing strategy, on the other hand, provides good prospects for biodiversity-focused farming practices. Under circular food systems, even with land sharing, we retain enough agricultural land to supply Europe with a healthy diet.”
Reducing Land Use and Greenhouse Gases
Wolfram Simon’s research illustrates that a circular protein transition can reduce both land use and lower greenhouse gas emissions by around two-thirds on a European scale. "Redesigning our food system according to circular principles enables us to drastically reduce environmental impacts while supporting healthy diets," Simon explains. "Similar reductions are achievable globally. However, it’s clear that such redesigns will vary by region in terms of production and consumption, highlighting the need for region-specific solutions that account for socio-economic contexts." According to Simon, vegan diets are most effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while omnivorous diets that meet all nutritional needs are particularly effective in minimising land use.
The Future of Circular Food Systems
With the defence of their theses, Simon and Cozim Melges conclude the Towards a circular food system-project, which was funded by the AVINA-foundation. Both researchers continue working with their promotor Hannah van Zanten, chair of the chair group Earth Systems and Global Change as of October 2024, and fellow researchers to further refine the CiFoS-model, integrating additional environmental and social indicators.