Growing food and protecting nature can work together. Here's how

Achieving the balance of food security and sustainability is an agricultural challenge which needs to be addressed.New research looks at the impact of the US adopting a more environmentally-focused agricultural policy on global food prices.Government investments in research and the adoption of new technologies will be key in driving sustainable practises.Growing food in a sustainable, environmentally friendly way – while also producing enough of it – is among the most important challenges facing the U.S. and the world today.The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us that food security can’t be taken for granted. Putting affordable food on the table requires both innovative producers and well-functioning markets and global supply chains. With disruptions to the system, prices rise, food is scarce – and people go hungry.But feeding the world’s 7.8 billion people sustainably – including 332 million Americans – presents significant environmental challenges. Farming uses 70% of the world’s fresh water. Fertilizers pollute water with nitrates and phosphates, sparking algal blooms and creating dead zones like the one that forms every summer in the Gulf of Mexico.