Summary
Meeting global food demands by 2050 requires a 45-60% increase in agricultural production. Plasticulture has emerged as a pivotal yet controversial solution. Here we perform a meta-analysis synthesizing the findings of global studies and reveal that plastic mulch enhances crop yields by 28.7% and water use efficiency by 48.9% under diversified systems. In China (2015-2024), plasticulture contributed an additional 189 million tons (Mt) of staple food, conserved 33.5 million hectares of arable land, and reduced emissions by 438 Mt CO₂-equivalent. However, persistent plastic residues degrade soils, and nanoplastics infiltrate food chains, posing ecological and health risks. Despite global negotiations (2024-2025), a binding UN treaty on plastic pollution remains stalled due to disparities amo
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.