The world in a field
If we divide the approximately 1.6 billion hectares of arable land worldwide by the number of people on earth, each person receives 2000 m². That is the share of arable land that we are all entitled to. We need to grow everything that feeds and supplies us: wheat for bread, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, as well as maize and soybeans as fodder crops for animals, but also sugar beet for the sugar in tea or coffee, cotton for T-shirts, sunflowers for cooking oil and rapeseed for biofuel.
The future fertility and biodiversity of our soil depend on how we treat it. This means how we cultivate the soil, treat the plants and process the harvest.
To give you an insight into global agriculture and make the connections between agriculture, nutrition, global climate, food justice and biodiversity tangible, “Weltacker” have been created in many places around the globe. Here, approximately the 45 most important crops in the world grow to scale on 2000 m². The local teams of the Global Fields offer you a unique learning experience in extensive educational programs.
Our messages
There is enough for everyone!
More grows on 2000 m² than one person can eat. If we divide up the global arable land fairly, there will be enough for everyone.
Every bite has its place
With every bite we eat, we give the order to grow something somewhere in the world in a certain way. Our diet therefore influences the health and beauty of our biotopes and ecosystems.
Diversity is life
An enormous number of other organisms must live on my 2000m² of land to ensure that the field remains fertile and biodiversity is maintained. A living soil is the basis for a living organism. This requires cooperation and consideration.
In addition, you can learn about many topics at the local Weltacker: whether climate, healthy nutrition, global food justice, seeds and much more – discover the Weltacker and their educational offers.
Challenges of global agriculture
Yes, the good news is that a single person can hardly eat what grows on 2000 square meters in a year. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has calculated that the calories we produce worldwide are enough to feed around 12 billion people.
But in reality, hundreds of millions of people worldwide still go hungry. But why, if we have so much? If we throw away a third of agricultural production or let it spoil, feed more than a third to animals and harvest more and more from the fields to produce fuel and electricity, then our resources are slowly running out. What’s more, resources are not being distributed equally: for example, people in the EU currently consume an average of 3000 m² per person. Each individual’s diet determines how much land we use to feed ourselves.
The more animal-based food we consume that does not come from pastures, forests or oceans, the more arable land is required. Of course, the area of land used alone is not a sufficient indicator of sustainable management. Biodiversity is ecologically decisive. How are the billions of single-celled organisms, the earthworm, the hare and the lark, which also live on our land, doing? Without them, the soil would not be fertile and could not provide us with sufficient food. The fossil energy contained in our fields and the amount of greenhouse gases that escape or are absorbed by them also play a decisive role. It is a challenge to return carbon from the atmosphere to the soil through targeted humus formation.
Social sustainability, regional development and global food security are measured above all by how much human labor leads to what income or how much direct nutritional value for hundreds of millions of self-sufficient farmers is contained in 2000 square meters. A farm in Asia or Africa is on average one hectare in size. It has to feed far more than a family of five (2000 m² is 0.2 hectares). As a rule, it does this, whereas in Europe we usually cannot manage with 2000 square meters. Agroecological impulses and innovations are needed here and there and are in progress. We want to use our global movement to raise awareness of these challenges, as well as the numerous solutions.
For a deeper insight into the challenges and solutions of our agricultural system, take a look at our Weltacker topics.
