Food & Agriculture

Transitioning to low-carbon, sustainable approaches to food production and consumption in the state requires multiple strategies including cultivating food in ways that enrich the land, while sequestering carbon, promoting plant-forward diets, minimizing food waste, and maximizing composting. The Drawdown Georgia Business Compact encourages businesses to engage in sustainable food practices, acknowledging the integral role the food system plays in achieving a low-carbon future. 

  • When food waste and other organic materials decompose in landfills, methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is released. When we compost these materials instead, the organic matter is broken down by microbes into nutrient-rich, carbon-sequestering fertilizer.

  • Conservation agriculture relies on practices like crop rotation, cover cropping, and reduced tillage to benefit the land and sequester carbon in the plants and soil.

  • A diet rich in plant-based foods reduces emissions associated with meat production. This solution assumes people maintain a 2,500 calorie per day nutritional regimen; meet daily protein requirements; and purchase locally produced food when available.

  • Food waste happens all along the journey from the farm to your plate, and continues when we purchase more food than we consume. It is estimated that over 2 million tons of food is wasted in Georgia every year.

Solution Insights

Explore Our Solutions