Michelle McKeown: Can we feed the world and save it too?

Rather than choosing organic everywhere or intensification somewhere, many scientists now advocate for a sustainable intensification approach: combining ecological practices with modern science and technology

Should we make all farming organic or focus on intensifying production in specific areas and rewild the rest? It’s a trade-off that pits land sparing against land sharing

Imagine a future where every field is organic. No synthetic fertilisers, no pesticides, and only nature-based methods guiding how we grow our food. The air is cleaner. Pollinators are thriving. Soil is healthy.

Now imagine a very different scene. Industrial-scale farms using precision technology to push yields to their limits, automated, efficient, and engineered to feed billions from tightly managed plots.