Mycoforestry, the practice of growing fungi in the root systems of trees, could potentially meet the protein needs of millions while actively sequestering large amounts of carbon, according to a new study. Mycoforestry is the only form of protein production that actually sequesters carbon, mainly due to the trees that make this growing system unique. This form of farming could feed millions without using up any land and could even displace a share of livestock farming to ease the pressure on wild forests.

While it is true that mushrooms do respire and release carbon dioxide (CO2) like humans, the carbon sequestration potential of mycoforestry comes from the trees themselves. By growing mushrooms in symbiosis with the roots of trees, mycoforestry creates a system where the trees are able to capture and store carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. This means that the overall carbon balance of the system can be negative, with more carbon being sequestered in the tree biomass and soil than is being released through the respiration of the mushrooms and other organisms in the soil. Additionally, the production of mycoprotein through mycoforestry can potentially displace more carbon-intensive forms of protein production, such as livestock farming, further contributing to carbon mitigation.