Authors
Jules Pretty, Tim G Benton, Zareen Pervez Bharucha, Lynn V Dicks, Cornelia Butler Flora, H Charles J Godfray, Dave Goulson, Sue Hartley, Nic Lampkin, Carol Morris, Gary Pierzynski, PV Vara Prasad, John Reganold, Johan Rockström, Pete Smith, Peter Thorne, Steve Wratten
Publication date
2018/8
Journal
Nature Sustainability
Volume
1
Issue
8
Pages
441-446
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group UK
Description
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 …
Scholar articles
J Pretty, TG Benton, ZP Bharucha, LV Dicks, CB Flora… - Nature Sustainability, 2018