Growing vegetables at home in the garden leaves too big a carbon footprint – at least according to some researchers and the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The carbon footprint of home-grown food is destroying the planet, a study by the World Economic Forum (WEF) finds, which is why the organisation is now demanding that

governments intervene and ban individuals from growing their own food in order to “save the planet” from “global warming,”

– the Slay News portal points out.

The research, conducted by WEF-funded scientists at the University of Michigan and published in the Nature Cities journal, indicated that resorting to „garden-to-table” practices causes a far greater carbon footprint than conventional agricultural production, such as rural farms.

In the study, various different types of urban farms were examined to assess how much carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced during food production.

On average, the study claims a portion of food from conventional farms produces 0.07 kilograms (kg) of CO2. However, the WEF-funded researchers claim that the environmental impact of each urban garden is almost five times higher, at 0.34 kg/serving. They looked at 73 urban agricultural sites from around the world and were grouped into three categories: individual or family gardens, including small plots; collective gardens, such as community gardens; and larger, commercial-oriented urban farms.

Jake Hawes, first author of the study, said,

“The most significant contributor to carbon emissions on the urban agriculture sites we studied was the infrastructure used to grow the produce, from raised beds to garden sheds to pathways, these constructions had a lot of carbon invested in their construction,” he explained.

The researchers also found other factors in kitchen gardens which they claim are „hazardous” to the climate, such as poorly managed compost.

Moreover, as per their data, two-thirds of the “carbon footprint” of garden plots is created by the garden itself.

Growing houseplants in the home is not environmentally friendly enough either,

the researchers claim, citing that carbon emissions from trucks transporting the plants, plastic pots and synthetic fertilisers all contribute to global warming.