Soil sealing and food security: The case of Italy

The use of rural landscapes influences the vital functions of ecosystems, affecting production of both food and renewable materials. Globalization mitigated, in the countries of early industrialization, the problem of food security by allowing, through the market, an agile supply of consumer goods are not available within the national borders. The system, however, is based on the assumption that someone on a global scale is able to produce indefinitely agricultural surplus to be placed on the market: a weak assumption challenged by population growth, the increase of the purchasing power of emerging markets and advancing overbuilding. Only a sustainable food production, addressing urgent environmental problems (soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, pollution, water shortage and climate change) allows for long-term food security.