Cusworth Samuel J, Davies William J, McAinsh Martin R, Stevens Carly J
Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster UK.
Food Energy Secur. 2022 Jul 6;11(4):e404. doi: 10.1002/fes3.404. eCollection 2022 Nov.
An evolving green agenda as the UK seeks to achieve 'net zero' in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, coupled with our new trading relationship with the European Union, is resulting in new government policies, which will be disruptive to Britain's traditional food and farming practices. These policies encourage sustainable farming and land-sparing to restore natural habitats and will provide an opportunity to address issues such as high emissions of GHGs and dwindling biodiversity resulting from many intensive agricultural practices. To address these and other food challenges such as global conflicts and health issues, Britain will need a revolution in its food system. The aim of this paper is to make the case for such a food revolution where additional healthy food for the UK population is produced in-country in specialised production units for fruits and vegetables developed on sites previously considered unsuitable for crop production. High crop productivity can be achieved in low-cost controlled environments, making extensive use of novel crop science and modern controlled-environment technology. Such systems must be operated with very limited environmental impact. In recent years, growth in the application of plasticulture in UK horticulture has driven some increases in crop yield, quality and value. However, the environmental cost of plastic production and plastic pollution is regarded as a generational challenge that faces the earth system complex. The distribution of plastic waste is ubiquitous, with a significant pollution load arising from a range of agricultural practices. The primary receptor of agriplastic pollution is agricultural soil. Impacts of microplastics on crop productivity and quality and also on human health are only now being investigated. This paper explores the possibility that we can mitigate the adverse environmental effects of agriplastics and thereby exploit the potential of plasticulture to enhance the productivity and positive health impact of UK horticulture.
随着英国寻求到2050年实现温室气体排放“净零”，其绿色议程不断发展，再加上与欧盟的新贸易关系，新的政府政策正在出台，这将对英国传统的食品和农业做法造成破坏。这些政策鼓励可持续农业和土地节约以恢复自然栖息地，并将提供机会解决诸多集约化农业做法导致的温室气体高排放和生物多样性减少等问题。为应对这些以及全球冲突和健康问题等其他食品挑战，英国将需要一场食品系统革命。本文的目的是论证这样一场食品革命的必要性，即在以前被认为不适合作物生产的土地上开发专门的果蔬生产单位，在国内为英国人口生产更多健康食品。在低成本的可控环境中可以实现高作物产量，这需要大量运用新型作物科学和现代可控环境技术。此类系统的运行必须对环境影响极小。近年来，英国园艺业中塑料栽培应用的增长推动了作物产量、质量和价值的一定提升。然而，塑料生产和塑料污染的环境成本被视为地球系统复合体面临的一项代际挑战。塑料废物分布广泛，一系列农业做法产生了大量污染负荷。农业塑料污染的主要受体是农业土壤。微塑料对作物生产力和质量以及对人类健康的影响目前才刚刚开始研究。本文探讨了我们能否减轻农业塑料的不利环境影响，从而挖掘塑料栽培的潜力，以提高英国园艺业的生产力和对健康的积极影响。
