Decarbonizing Agriculture and Beyond: What Is at Stake?

This article argues that an effective rethinking of agriculture in the light of the climate emergency should aim to achieve more than decarbonization in agricultural production. The multidimensional ecological crisis precipitated by industrial agriculture can only be addressed through an integrated approach that seeks to restore the ecological balance through sustainable production practices. However, such a programme of reversing the ecological footprint generates its own tensions. Agriculture will continue to be a critical source of food and livelihoods which will necessitate trade‐offs regarding the sector's role in restoring and maintaining ecological balance. Fundamental institutional change will be needed to reconcile the ecological regeneration process (in agriculture) with the goals of food production and livelihood provision. The existing political economy of corporate agrifood systems, the neoliberal state and contemporary agrarian social structures could create obstacles to such change. A concerted programme of public action will therefore be required to move forward.