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Rasmussen LV, Grass I, Mehrabi Z, Smith OM, Bezner-Kerr R, Blesh J, Garibaldi LA, Isaac ME, Kennedy CM, Wittman H, Batáry P, Buchori D, Cerda R, Chará J, Crowder DW, Darras K, DeMaster K, Garcia K, Gómez M, Gonthier D, Guzman A, Hidayat P, Hipólito J, Hirons M, Hoey L, James D, John I, Jones AD, Karp DS, Kebede Y, Kerr CB, Klassen S, Kotowska M, Kreft H, Llanque R, Levers C, Lizcano DJ, Lu A, Madsen S, Marques RN, Martins PB, Melo A, Nyantakyi-Frimpong H, Olimpi EM, Owen JP, Pantevez H, Qaim M, Redlich S, Scherber C, Sciligo AR, Snapp S, Snyder WE, Steffan-Dewenter I, Stratton AE, Taylor JM, Tscharntke T, Valencia V, Vogel C, Kremen C. Joint environmental and social benefits from diversified agriculture. Science 2024; 384:87-93. [PMID: 38574149 DOI: 10.1126/science.adj1914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Agricultural simplification continues to expand at the expense of more diverse forms of agriculture. This simplification, for example, in the form of intensively managed monocultures, poses a risk to keeping the world within safe and just Earth system boundaries. Here, we estimated how agricultural diversification simultaneously affects social and environmental outcomes. Drawing from 24 studies in 11 countries across 2655 farms, we show how five diversification strategies focusing on livestock, crops, soils, noncrop plantings, and water conservation benefit social (e.g., human well-being, yields, and food security) and environmental (e.g., biodiversity, ecosystem services, and reduced environmental externalities) outcomes. We found that applying multiple diversification strategies creates more positive outcomes than individual management strategies alone. To realize these benefits, well-designed policies are needed to incentivize the adoption of multiple diversification strategies in unison.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Vang Rasmussen
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ingo Grass
- Department of Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
- Center for Biodiversity and Integrative Taxonomy (KomBioTa), University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Zia Mehrabi
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Better Planet Laboratory, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Mortenson Center for Global Engineering and Resilience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Olivia M Smith
- Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | | | - Jennifer Blesh
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Lucas Alejandro Garibaldi
- Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural, Río Negro, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Investigaciones en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Marney E Isaac
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences and Department of Global Development Studies, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Hannah Wittman
- Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Péter Batáry
- Lendület Landscape and Conservation Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Damayanti Buchori
- Department of Plant Protection, Bogor Agricultural University, Jalan Kamper, Kampus Darmaga, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Rolando Cerda
- Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE), Turri Alba, Costa Rica
| | - Julián Chará
- Center for Research on Sustainable Agricultural Systems (CIPAV), Cali, Colombia
| | - David W Crowder
- Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | | | - Kathryn DeMaster
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Karina Garcia
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Manuel Gómez
- Federación Colombiana de Ganaderos (FEDEGAN), Bogotá, Columbia
| | - David Gonthier
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Aidee Guzman
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Purnama Hidayat
- Department of Plant Protection, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Juliana Hipólito
- Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Biology Institute, Salvador, Brazil
- Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Conselho de Ensino, Pesquisa e Extensão, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Campus Universitário, Viçosa, MG, Brazil
- Brazil Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, INPA, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Mark Hirons
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Lesli Hoey
- Urban and Regional Planning Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Dana James
- Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Innocensia John
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Business, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Andrew D Jones
- School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Daniel S Karp
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Yodit Kebede
- Eco&Sols, Université de Montpellier, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Susanna Klassen
- Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Sociology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Martyna Kotowska
- Department of Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Holger Kreft
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Christian Levers
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Environmental Geography, Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Thünen Institute of Biodiversity, Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute - Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry, and Fisheries, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Diego J Lizcano
- The Nature Conservancy, Latin America North Andes and Central America Region, Bogota, Columbia
| | - Adrian Lu
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Sidney Madsen
- Department of Global Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Rosebelly Nunes Marques
- Applied Ecology Graduate Program, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Pedro Buss Martins
- Applied Ecology Graduate Program, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - America Melo
- The Nature Conservancy, Latin America North Andes and Central America Region, Bogota, Columbia
| | | | | | - Jeb P Owen
- Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Heiber Pantevez
- Federación Colombiana de Ganaderos (FEDEGAN), Bogotá, Columbia
| | - Matin Qaim
- Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sarah Redlich
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Scherber
- Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB), Museum Koenig, Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science, Bonn, Germany
- Bonn Institute for Organismic Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Sieglinde Snapp
- Sustainable Agrifood Systems, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), El Batan, Mexico
| | - William E Snyder
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Anne Elise Stratton
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Sustainable Use of Natural Resources Department, Institute of Social Sciences in Agriculture, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Joseph M Taylor
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Department of Agroecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Vivian Valencia
- Farming Systems Ecology Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
- Department of Environment, Agriculture and Geography at Bishop's University, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Cassandra Vogel
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Claire Kremen
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, Biodiversity Research Centre and Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Dittmer KM, Rose S, Snapp SS, Kebede Y, Brickman S, Shelton S, Egler C, Stier M, Wollenberg E. Agroecology Can Promote Climate Change Adaptation Outcomes Without Compromising Yield In Smallholder Systems. Environ Manage 2023; 72:333-342. [PMID: 37004534 PMCID: PMC10287806 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-023-01816-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
A critical question is whether agroecology can promote climate change mitigation and adaptation outcomes without compromising food security. We assessed the outcomes of smallholder agricultural systems and practices in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) against 35 mitigation, adaptation, and yield indicators by reviewing 50 articles with 77 cases of agroecological treatments relative to a baseline of conventional practices. Crop yields were higher for 63% of cases reporting yields. Crop diversity, income diversity, net income, reduced income variability, nutrient regulation, and reduced pest infestation, indicators of adaptative capacity, were associated with 70% or more of cases. Limited information on climate change mitigation, such as greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration impacts, was available. Overall, the evidence indicates that use of organic nutrient sources, diversifying systems with legumes and integrated pest management lead to climate change adaptation in multiple contexts. Landscape mosaics, biological control (e.g., enhancement of beneficial organisms) and field sanitation measures do not yet have sufficient evidence based on this review. Widespread adoption of agroecological practices and system transformations shows promise to contribute to climate change services and food security in LMICs. Gaps in adaptation and mitigation strategies and areas for policy and research interventions are finally discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle M Dittmer
- Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Calí, Colombia.
| | - Sabrina Rose
- Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Calí, Colombia
| | - Sieglinde S Snapp
- International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Texcoco, Mexico
- Michigan State University (MSU), East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Yodit Kebede
- Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Calí, Colombia
- French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), Marseille, France
| | | | - Sadie Shelton
- Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Calí, Colombia
- University of Vermont (UVM), Burlington, VT, USA
- The Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | | | - Milena Stier
- University of Vermont (UVM), Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Eva Wollenberg
- Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Calí, Colombia
- University of Vermont (UVM), Burlington, VT, USA
- The Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
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