Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 4 — Narrative / commentaryPeer-reviewed

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, Dave Goulson, Sue Hartley, Nicolas Lampkin, Carol Morris, Gary M. Pierzynski, P. V. Vara Prasad, John P. Reganold, Johan Rockström, Pete Smith, Peter S. Thorne, S. D. Wratten

Nature Sustainability · 2018

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Summary

This 2018 Nature Sustainability paper, authored by a multidisciplinary team spanning agronomy, ecology, and policy, presents a global assessment of how agricultural systems can be redesigned to achieve sustainable intensification. The work appears to synthesise evidence on integrated farming practices and system-level changes that maintain or increase productivity whilst reducing environmental burden and enhancing resilience. As suggested by the authorship and journal placement, the paper likely contributes to the evidence base for reconciling food security with ecological sustainability at the global scale.

UK applicability

Given the UK representation among authors (Pretty, Morris, Lampkin, Smith, Wratten) and relevance to UK agricultural policy on sustainable food systems, the findings likely have direct applicability to UK farming practices and agri-environmental policy development. The assessment may inform debates on UK post-Brexit agricultural support and environmental land management schemes.

Key measures

Likely included metrics on productivity, environmental impact, soil health, and resilience across different farming system redesigns, though specific metrics cannot be confirmed without the abstract.

Outcomes reported

As suggested by the title, this assessment likely evaluated how agricultural systems can be redesigned to achieve both sustainability and productivity gains across diverse global contexts. The work presumably synthesised evidence on integrated farming approaches that balance environmental stewardship with food production.

Theme
Farming systems, soils & land use
Subject
Regenerative & agroecological farming
Study type
Narrative Review
Study design
Narrative review
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
Global
System type
Mixed farming
DOI
10.1038/s41893-018-0114-0
Catalogue ID
BFmowc29c6-54x18v

Topic tags

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