Està subjecte a una llicència de Reconeixement-NoComercial-SenseObraDerivada 4.0 de Creative Commons

• French GHG emissions from agricultural and forest sectors were estimated. • A long-term trajectory (1852-2014) was reconstructed for N 2 O, CH 4 , CO 2. • GHG emissions have grown four-fold since 1852, to 120,000 CO 2 Eq yr −1 in the 2000s. • GHG emissions have only stabilised, in spite of agro-environmental measures. • Deep changes in the agro-food system would reduce agricultural GHG emissions.

After World War II, the evolution of Europe's agro-food system has been marked by intensified use of synthetic fertilizers, territorial specialization, and integration in global food and feed markets. This evolution led to increased nitrogen (N) losses to aquatic environments and the atmosphere, which, despite increasing environmental regulations, continues to harm ecosystems and human well-being. Here, we explore how these N losses can be drastically reduced in a scenario synergistically operating three levers: (1) a dietary change toward less animal products and an efficient recycling of human excreta; (2) the generalization of region-specific organic crop rotation systems involving N 2 -fixing legumes, making it possible to do without synthetic N fertilizers; and (3) the reconnection of livestock with cropping systems allowing optimal use of manure. This scenario demonstrates the possibility to feed the projected European population in 2050 without imports of feed and with half the current level of environmental N losses.