Environment

Case Studies on Innovative Food Production Methods That Reduce Environmental Impact

2022.8.31

Consumers’ criteria for choosing food products have become increasingly diverse. In addition to freshness and price, more shoppers now consider whether a product is environmentally responsible and to what extent it is produced with sustainability in mind. As this trend strengthens, producers have also begun shifting toward more environmentally considerate food production. This article highlights several innovative food-production methods designed to reduce environmental impact.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction – Diversifying criteria for food choices
2 Production methods that lower environmental impact
3 How businesses working to reduce environmental impact can gain greater recognition

Introduction – Diversifying criteria for food choices

The criteria used to choose the food that sustains our daily lives have diversified. While freshness and price traditionally dominated purchasing decisions, consumers now increasingly value nutritional content and ease of preparation as well (*1). Environmental considerations have become particularly prominent. A survey by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan found that roughly 30% of consumers consider whether a food product is sustainable when making purchases (*2).  This shift reflects growing awareness of environmental issues such as climate change, along with rising concern over food security as the global population grows (*3). The United Nations has also positioned “Responsible consumption and production” as Goal 12 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), making environmentally responsible food production and consumption both a global priority and a responsibility shared by consumers.

Producers have also begun transitioning toward more environmentally considerate production practices (*4). Traditional methods are being reassessed, and approaches that are more sustainable, or in some cases highly innovative, are gaining adoption.

Production methods that lower environmental impact

What specific methods are being used? Below are examples related to food products that are widely familiar to consumers and that have high levels of global production and consumption.

Wheat

Wheat, one of the world’s three major grains, has long been the subject of ongoing discussions and improvements regarding production methods. However, nitrogen fertilizer which commonly used in wheat cultivation accounts for 2.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the nitrogen not absorbed by plants contributes to groundwater pollution and global warming. As a result, wheat production cannot be considered environmentally friendly in its current form (*5). One approach aimed at resolving this issue is known as “innovation farming”.

This concept seeks to reform agricultural processes across the entire production cycle, with the goal of maintaining conventional output while reducing the cultivation area required (*6). Examples include “reduced-tillage cultivation”, “no-till farming” (*7), and the use of “cover crops”, which prevent soil erosion after harvest and enhance soil health by adding organic matter. Technologies collectively known as “Agri-tech” are increasingly used as well, making it possible to monitor cultivation conditions using GPS and drones and to predict yields with greater accuracy (*8).

With innovation farming, farmers can optimize input use, monitor plant health, and gather data on soil nutrients and natural resources, allowing for efficient, lower-impact wheat production. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, innovation farming can free up as much as 8 million acres of farmland while maintaining current production levels (*9).

Although the concept is not new, it dates back to discussions in the early 1900s. Many farmers have hesitated to deviate from traditional practices or to shoulder the initial investment required for new methods. As a result, widespread adoption has not yet been achieved, and the topic continues to attract attention today (*10).

At the same time, several revolutionary and newly refined techniques have emerged in recent years.

Rice

Rice is one of the most widely consumed staple foods globally. Traditional rice production, symbolized by Japan’s iconic flooded paddy fields (*11), involves soil preparation, planting, mid-season drainage, and harvesting. Although this method appears sustainable at first glance, it requires large volumes of water (*12) and generates substantial methane emissions from flooded fields—one of the drivers of global warming. According to the WBCSD, roughly 12% of global methane emissions originate from rice cultivation (*13). As climate change intensifies water scarcity and pressure mounts to reduce methane and other greenhouse gases, traditional rice farming can no longer be considered fully sustainable.

A promising alternative is “dry seeding”, a method that minimizes the amount of time fields are flooded. This reduces methane emissions while maintaining conventional yield levels. Dry seeding is already spreading across India, and rice grown using this approach is known as dry seeded rice (*14).

Because seeds are sown directly into moist soil without flooding, the method is also referred to as “direct seeding”. Although water is still needed later in the growth cycle, dry seeding reduces total water usage by 12–33% and lowers methane emissions from paddies (*15). Some studies reports that this method can also improve soil health and reduce labor requirements by up to 50% (*16). In 2025, an international conference led by advanced agricultural research institutions and NARO was held to promote the adoption of Direct-Seeded Rice, where experts and policymakers worked to develop frameworks to support wider implementation.

If dry seeding becomes more widely adopted, farmers can reduce the environmental impact of rice cultivation while easing persistent labor shortages. Consumers would also support more sustainable consumption and contribute to broader climate-action efforts, creating benefits on multiple fronts.

Corn

Corn, one of the world’s most widely consumed grains, is also undergoing transformation. High-quality corn has traditionally required fertile prairie soils, which are neutral to slightly acidic and rich in nutrients. In the United States, large prairie regions form the Corn Belt, producing roughly one-third of global corn output and influencing world prices (*18). In contrast, many African countries rely on corn as a staple food yet lack extensive prairie soils, and yields are often reduced further by droughts and floods. As a result, Africa’s average corn yield remains less than one-third of that in the U.S. (*19).

A breakthrough gaining attention is the development of “hybrid corn”, seeds produced by crossbreeding two or more corn varieties to create plants resistant to drought and disease (*20). Because of their drought tolerance, these varieties are also called “drought-tolerant corn (DT-corn)”. In Africa, agricultural yields are often suppressed by plant diseases as well as drought, but hybrid corn is known for its disease resistance. Adoption of hybrid corn has the potential to increase yields, narrow the gap with U.S. production, and promote local production for local consumption within African regions (*21).

The benefits extend beyond Africa. In Indonesia, studies have shown that farmers cultivating hybrid corn achieve higher incomes than those producing conventional corn (*22). For farmers, hybrid corn offers both reduced environmental burden and promising economic advantages.

Beef

Finally, this section introduces an innovative production technology expected to advance further in the coming years. As stated in SDG Goal 13—“Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”—addressing climate change and mitigating its effects is an urgent global priority (*23). Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane are among the major contributors, and the FAO reports that livestock account for 14.5% of global emissions (*24). One promising solution involves cashew shell liquid. Joint research by Idemitsu Kosan (whose agribio operations have since been integrated into SDS Biotech) and Hokkaido University found that cashew shell liquid can reduce methane emissions from cattle belching (*25). In Japan, feed additives for cattle using cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) were officially approved as livestock feed additives by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2024. After development and production in Vietnam, the product is being adopted mainly by large-scale dairy farms with more than 300 cattle, and it is now sold in Taiwan and South Korea as well (*26). Feed containing cashew shell liquid is reported to reduce methane emissions by 20–40%. Considering that 1.5 billion cattle exist worldwide—most raised for dairy or meat—the potential impact is significant.

The adoption of these production methods not only reduces environmental burden but also contributes to global food-supply stability. If innovative production methods like those introduced here are widely adopted, countries may become less dependent on specific regions for food supply, improving resilience against both environmental and potential global food crises.

How businesses working to reduce environmental impact can gain greater recognition

As described above, environmental impact varies significantly even for the same crop depending on production methods, and in some cases these differences also affect farmer income. However, reduced environmental footprint during production is often invisible to consumers. Despite growing interest in sustainable purchasing, producers’ efforts do not always reach the marketplace. Until now, visibility into production-stage sustainability has been limited to direct-from-farm products. To move forward, even processed foods should ideally indicate which ingredients are sustainable and to what extent.

To address this, our company developed “My-Eco-Ruler”, a tool that visualizes the sustainability of food products, making it easier for innovative producers to showcase the value of their efforts and helping consumers make clearer purchasing decisions. Beyond the innovative production methods introduced in this article, “cuoncrop” leverages a team of ESG-analysis specialists—many with backgrounds in global strategy consulting—and proprietary analytics systems to support companies through services such as “ESG/SDGs Management 360° Diagnostics & Improvement Support” and “My-Eco-Ruler.” These services support organizations that already conduct ESG analysis internally, as well as small and mid-sized companies that recognize the need to begin their ESG journey. We welcome inquiries from companies interested in scientific and efficient analytical approaches to accelerate ESG-driven management.

cuoncrop ESG Global Trends Research Division

References

*1 https://www.maff.go.jp/j/syokuiku/ishiki/h29/zuhyou/z2-6.html

*2 https://www.maff.go.jp/j/zyukyu/jki/j_doutai/attach/pdf/kokusan_genzai_top-17.pdf

*3 https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/food-security-and-why-it-matters/

*4 https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/sustainable-agriculture-23562787/

*5 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-18773-w

*6 https://www.fb.org/land/fsf

*7 https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=90184

*8 https://www.uswheat.org/wheatletter/precision-agriculture-advances-sustainable-wheat-production/

*9 https://www.uswheat.org/wheatletter/technology-innovative-farming-practices-advance-wheat-farm-sustainability/

*10 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0308521X9490104N