Agri-food strategic intelligence firm, Aimpoint Research, released a new report detailing the importance of glyphosate to our agriculture system, farmers’ livelihoods, the economy, and the environment. Ongoing public debate about glyphosate has led some to question what the impacts would be if it were no longer available.

Leveraging multiple research and analytical methods, the report titled “A Future Without Glyphosate,” found what many farmers already know, glyphosate is currently an indispensable tool in the crop protection toolbox.

Glyphosate use enables cost-efficient weed control for farmers and allows farmers to add conservation practices to the agriculture process and climate resiliency through carbon reduction. Aimpoint found that while markets would adapt to a world without glyphosate, it would be a substantial economic cost to farmers, particularly those operating small farms, and cause the rapid release of greenhouse gasses, reversing decades of conservation and sustainability gains.

Other topline findings:

• U.S. farmers would bear the burden of up to 2-2.5X increased input and operating costs with small farmers disproportionately affected.
• Increased production costs would cause inflationary pressure on food prices over the long term.
• Since 2016, glyphosate use has helped achieve:
• 13% reduction in water soil erosion
• 16% reduction in wind soil erosion
• 22% reduction in sediment loss
• Additionally, over that same time period, glyphosate-enabled reduced tillage practices have yielded:
• 1.2 million fewer tons of CO2 emissions
• 32.495 million tons per year of additional CO2 captured by farmland soil
• The total farm-level effect of more carbon capture and fewer carbon emissions from glyphosate use equals the effect of offsetting the yearly emissions from:
• 5.95 million homes' electricity use 
• 6.8 million gasoline-powered passenger cars driven
• 36.48 million acres of forests

Click here to learn more about the impacts of a world without glyphosate.