For millennia, humanity has depended on photosynthesis to cultivate crops and feed a growing population. However, the escalating challenges of climate change and global hunger now compel us to surpass the efficiency limitations of photosynthesis. Here, we propose the adoption of an electro-agriculture (electro-ag) framework that combines CO₂ electrolysis with biological systems to enhance food production efficiency. Adopting a food system based entirely on electro-ag could reduce United States agricultural land use by 88%, freeing nearly half of the country’s land for ecosystem restoration and natural carbon sequestration. Electro-ag bypasses traditional photosynthesis, enabling food cultivation in non-arable urban centers, arid deserts, and even outer space environments. We offer a new strategy that improves energy efficiency by an order of magnitude compared with photosynthesis, along with essential guidance for developing electro-ag focused on staple crops, to maximize benefits for regions facing food insecurity. This innovative approach to agriculture holds significant promise in reducing environmental impacts, streamlining supply chains, and addressing the global food crisis.

中文翻译：

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电动农业：革新农业，创造可持续未来


几千年来，人类一直依靠光合作用来种植农作物和养活不断增长的人口。然而，气候变化和全球饥饿不断升级的挑战现在迫使我们超越光合作用的效率限制。在这里，我们建议采用电子农业 （electro-ag） 框架，将 CO₂ 电解与生物系统相结合，以提高食品生产效率。采用完全基于电子农业的食品系统可以减少美国 88% 的农业用地使用，从而腾出该国近一半的土地用于生态系统恢复和自然碳封存。Electro-ag 绕过了传统的光合作用，可以在非耕地城市中心、干旱沙漠甚至外太空环境中进行粮食种植。我们提供了一种新策略，与光合作用相比，可以将能源效率提高一个数量级，并为开发以主食作物为重点的电子农业提供重要指导，以最大限度地为面临粮食不安全的地区带来利益。这种创新的农业方法在减少环境影响、简化供应链和解决全球粮食危机方面具有重大前景。