Global assessment of agricultural system redesign for sustainable intensification

Jules Pretty; Tim G. Benton; Zareen Pervez Bharucha; Lynn V. Dicks; Cornelia Butler Flora; H. Charles J. Godfray; David Goulson; Sue Hartley; Nic Lampkin; Carol Morris; Gary Pierzynski; P. V. Vara Prasad; John Reganold; Johan Rockström; Pete Smith; Peter Thorne; Steve Wratten

doi:10.1038/s41893-018-0114-0

Global assessment of agricultural system redesign for sustainable intensification

Jules Pretty, Tim G. Benton, Zareen Pervez Bharucha, Lynn V. Dicks, Cornelia Butler Flora, H. Charles J. Godfray, David Goulson, Sue Hartley, Nic Lampkin, Carol Morris, Gary Pierzynski, P. V. Vara Prasad, John Reganold, Johan Rockström, Pete Smith, Peter Thorne, Steve Wratten

Aberdeen Centre For Environmental Sustainability

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Abstract

The sustainable intensification of agricultural systems offers synergistic opportunities for the co-production of agricultural and natural capital outcomes. Efficiency and substitution are steps towards sustainable intensification, but system redesign is essential to deliver optimum outcomes as ecological and economic conditions change. We show global progress towards sustainable intensification by farms and hectares, using seven sustainable intensification sub-types: integrated pest management, conservation agriculture, integrated crop and biodiversity, pasture and forage, trees, irrigation management and small or patch systems. From 47 sustainable intensification initiatives at scale (each >10⁴ farms or hectares), we estimate 163 million farms (29% of all worldwide) have crossed a redesign threshold, practising forms of sustainable intensification on 453 Mha of agricultural land (9% of worldwide total). Key challenges include investment to integrate more forms of sustainable intensification in farming systems, creating agricultural knowledge economies and establishing policy measures to scale sustainable intensification further. We conclude that sustainable intensification may be approaching a tipping point where it could be transformative.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	441-446
Number of pages	6
Journal	Nature Sustainability
Volume	1
Issue number	8
Early online date	14 Aug 2018
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0114-0
Publication status	Published - Aug 2018

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Accepted Manuscript
Pretty J, Benton TG, Bharucha ZP, Dicks LV, Flora CB, Godfray HCJ et al. Global assessment of agricultural system redesign for sustainable intensification. Nature Sustainability. 2018 Aug;1(8):441-446. Available from, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0114-0
Accepted author manuscript, 668 KBLicence: Other

Pete Smith
- Biological Sciences, Aberdeen Centre For Environmental Sustainability - Chair in Plant & Soil Science
Person: Academic

Cite this

Pretty, J., Benton, T. G., Bharucha, Z. P., Dicks, L. V., Flora, C. B., Godfray, H. C. J., Goulson, D., Hartley, S., Lampkin, N., Morris, C., Pierzynski, G., Prasad, P. V. V., Reganold, J., Rockström, J., Smith, P., Thorne, P., & Wratten, S. (2018). Global assessment of agricultural system redesign for sustainable intensification. Nature Sustainability, 1(8), 441-446. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0114-0

Pretty, J, Benton, TG, Bharucha, ZP, Dicks, LV, Flora, CB, Godfray, HCJ, Goulson, D, Hartley, S, Lampkin, N, Morris, C, Pierzynski, G, Prasad, PVV, Reganold, J, Rockström, J, Smith, P, Thorne, P & Wratten, S 2018, 'Global assessment of agricultural system redesign for sustainable intensification', Nature Sustainability, vol. 1, no. 8, pp. 441-446. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0114-0

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abstract = "The sustainable intensification of agricultural systems offers synergistic opportunities for the co-production of agricultural and natural capital outcomes. Efficiency and substitution are steps towards sustainable intensification, but system redesign is essential to deliver optimum outcomes as ecological and economic conditions change. We show global progress towards sustainable intensification by farms and hectares, using seven sustainable intensification sub-types: integrated pest management, conservation agriculture, integrated crop and biodiversity, pasture and forage, trees, irrigation management and small or patch systems. From 47 sustainable intensification initiatives at scale (each >104 farms or hectares), we estimate 163 million farms (29% of all worldwide) have crossed a redesign threshold, practising forms of sustainable intensification on 453 Mha of agricultural land (9% of worldwide total). Key challenges include investment to integrate more forms of sustainable intensification in farming systems, creating agricultural knowledge economies and establishing policy measures to scale sustainable intensification further. We conclude that sustainable intensification may be approaching a tipping point where it could be transformative.",

author = "Jules Pretty and Benton, {Tim G.} and Bharucha, {Zareen Pervez} and Dicks, {Lynn V.} and Flora, {Cornelia Butler} and Godfray, {H. Charles J.} and David Goulson and Sue Hartley and Nic Lampkin and Carol Morris and Gary Pierzynski and Prasad, {P. V. Vara} and John Reganold and Johan Rockstr{\"o}m and Pete Smith and Peter Thorne and Steve Wratten",

note = "Acknowledgements We are grateful to a number of people for their guidance and updates on numbers of farmers and hectares for some of the illustrative sub-types: H. van den Berg, R. Bunch, K. Gallagher and V. Kumar.",

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AU - Godfray, H. Charles J.

AU - Goulson, David

AU - Hartley, Sue

AU - Lampkin, Nic

AU - Morris, Carol

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AU - Thorne, Peter

AU - Wratten, Steve

N1 - Acknowledgements We are grateful to a number of people for their guidance and updates on numbers of farmers and hectares for some of the illustrative sub-types: H. van den Berg, R. Bunch, K. Gallagher and V. Kumar.

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AB - The sustainable intensification of agricultural systems offers synergistic opportunities for the co-production of agricultural and natural capital outcomes. Efficiency and substitution are steps towards sustainable intensification, but system redesign is essential to deliver optimum outcomes as ecological and economic conditions change. We show global progress towards sustainable intensification by farms and hectares, using seven sustainable intensification sub-types: integrated pest management, conservation agriculture, integrated crop and biodiversity, pasture and forage, trees, irrigation management and small or patch systems. From 47 sustainable intensification initiatives at scale (each >104 farms or hectares), we estimate 163 million farms (29% of all worldwide) have crossed a redesign threshold, practising forms of sustainable intensification on 453 Mha of agricultural land (9% of worldwide total). Key challenges include investment to integrate more forms of sustainable intensification in farming systems, creating agricultural knowledge economies and establishing policy measures to scale sustainable intensification further. We conclude that sustainable intensification may be approaching a tipping point where it could be transformative.

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Global assessment of agricultural system redesign for sustainable intensification

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