Our food system is hooked on fossil fuels. From fossil-fuelled fertilizers and pesticides to plastic packaging, ultra-processed foods, and long-haul cold chains, fossil fuels are entwined at every link in the food chain. Food systems now consume 40% of all petrochemicals and 15% of fossil fuels globally – making them a key growth frontier for Big Oil. Yet food remains glaringly absent from the climate conversation.
This dependency is deepening climate risks and threatening food access. As geopolitical shocks drive oil price volatility, food prices follow – worsening hunger. Meanwhile, as other sectors begin to decarbonize, food the fossil fuel industry is doubling down on fertilizers and plastics to sustain its growth – locking in pollution and keeping food systems on an industrial, fossil-fuelled path.
This report sets out what it will take to break that addiction – and why it must start now. It exposes the false solutions being peddled by powerful corporations – from ‘blue’ ammonia to high-tech digital farming – and maps out real pathways forward: phasing out chemical inputs, investing in agroecology, building resilient local food systems, and reining in corporate power.
Examples:
Some steps taken in India with support given by the government are:
- The Government of India is promoting Use of solar-powered pumps for irrigation-replacing diesel engines for drawing water
- The National Bioenergy Programme, particularly the Biogas Programme, offers Central Financial Assistance (CFA) for setting up biogas plants of different sizes, for power generation, and for thermal applications.
- Crop-livestock integrated system promotes agroecological & circulatory agriculture reducing the use of chemical fertilizers
- Natural farming is being given big push in India- which calls for on-farm reliance for inputs, eliminating chemical fertilizers
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