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

University of Essex
Anglia Ruskin University
University of East Anglia
Iowa State University
University of Oxford
Organic Research Centre
University of Nottingham
Washington State University
Stockholm Resilience Centre
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
International Livestock Research Institute Addis Ababa
Lincoln University
University of York
Ohio State University
University of Leeds
University of Sussex
Kansas State University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

910 Citations (Scopus)

75 Downloads (Pure)

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

Bibliographical 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.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 15 Life on Land

Access to Document

10.1038/s41893-018-0114-0Licence: Unspecified

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

@article{4987f919b98a4778be4749dffe964080,

title = "Global assessment of agricultural system redesign for sustainable intensification",

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.",

year = "2018",

month = aug,

doi = "10.1038/s41893-018-0114-0",

language = "English",

volume = "1",

pages = "441--446",

journal = "Nature Sustainability",

issn = "2398-9629",

publisher = "Springer Nature",

number = "8",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Global assessment of agricultural system redesign for sustainable intensification

AU - Pretty, Jules

AU - Benton, Tim G.

AU - Bharucha, Zareen Pervez

AU - Dicks, Lynn V.

AU - Flora, Cornelia Butler

AU - Godfray, H. Charles J.

AU - Goulson, David

AU - Hartley, Sue

AU - Lampkin, Nic

AU - Morris, Carol

AU - Pierzynski, Gary

AU - Prasad, P. V. Vara

AU - Reganold, John

AU - Rockström, Johan

AU - Smith, Pete

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.

PY - 2018/8

Y1 - 2018/8

N2 - 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.

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.

U2 - 10.1038/s41893-018-0114-0

DO - 10.1038/s41893-018-0114-0

M3 - Article

SN - 2398-9629

VL - 1

SP - 441

EP - 446

JO - Nature Sustainability

JF - Nature Sustainability

IS - 8

ER -

Global assessment of agricultural system redesign for sustainable intensification

Abstract

Bibliographical note

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Profiles

Pete Smith

Cite this