Integrated agricultural systems: The 21st century nature-based solution for resolving the global FEEES challenges

Summary

This 2024 review in Advances in Agronomy presents integrated agricultural systems as a comprehensive, nature-based approach to addressing the interconnected global challenges of food security, energy provision, ecosystem integrity, economic resilience, and social equity (FEEES). The authors, drawing on contemporary agronomic literature, argue that holistic farming systems—combining elements of crop production, livestock, agroforestry, and energy generation—offer more sustainable pathways than sectoral approaches. The paper appears to position such integration as particularly relevant for 21st-century food system transformation, though specific quantitative evidence and case studies would require access to the full text.

UK applicability

UK farming policy increasingly supports integrated land management and nature-based solutions; the FEEES framework may resonate with Defra's Environmental Land Management schemes and net-zero commitments. However, UK applicability would depend on whether the paper addresses temperate systems, supply chain infrastructure, and policy mechanisms compatible with UK conditions and Common Agricultural Policy successor programmes.

Key measures

Qualitative synthesis of integrated system performance across food security, energy production, ecosystem services, economic viability, and social outcomes

Outcomes reported

The paper examines integrated agricultural approaches designed to address interconnected global challenges spanning food security, energy provision, ecosystem health, and economic sustainability. It assesses how nature-based solutions in farming systems can simultaneously resolve multiple dimensions of the 'FEEES' challenge framework.

Topic tags