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Consider also the green revolution which enabled more calories to be grown per hectare. I don’t know if it takes less water and nutrients, though.



The Haber–Bosch process that powered the green revolution is merely a way of converting fuel into heat into fertilizer.

Calories per hectare is one way of measuring food systems, and a great way when we assume fuel inputs are infinite, inexhaustible, and cheap. Calories per unit of inputs is another way.


The green revolution was not only a result of the Haber-Bosch process, although that's an aspect I wasn't thinking about.

Hybridization of crop plants increased the calories per hectare per year produced. Again, I don't know if the plants were actually producing more edible nutrients per pound of fertilizer.




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