How scalable is sustainable intensification?

Gunton, Richard M.; Firbank, L. G.; Inman, Alex; Winter, D. de

doi:10.1038/nplants.2016.65

Cited by 58 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The Bell's Vireo is a shrub-nesting species whose populations have declined 0.98% annually in the central U.S. since 1966 (Sauer et al 2014). Unlike many grassland species, this vireo represents a scalable conservation opportunity on farmland with a low opportunity cost to farmers (Gunton et al 2016).…”

Section: Case Study #2: Agroecosystems In the Midwest And Great Plainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of a coupled human natural system framework to organize and frame challenges and opportunities for biodiversity conservation on private lands.

Quinn¹,

Wood²

2017

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Conservation science addresses the complementary goals of preventing future biodiversity loss while sustaining critical human foundations. In this paper we use two case studies focused on land management to discuss how private lands conservation can be more effective by considering how planning and decision making reflects a coupled human and natural system (CHANS). The first case study focuses on conservation easements in the temperate forests of eastern United States; the second focuses on conservation opportunities in Midwestern agroecosystems, in particular the value of agroforestry. For each case study we discuss the natural and human subsystems, how elements and interactions within and between subsystems (as organized by elements of CHANS) create challenges and opportunities for conservation, and the importance of considering relevant scales of subsystems. Review of these case studies demonstrates that additional insight gained by using a CHANS perspective, particularly given how the subsystems interact at different scales, improves identification of important points of social and ecological overlap, ultimately enhancing conservation research, planning, and practice.

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Section: Case Study #2: Agroecosystems In the Midwest And Great Plainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of a coupled human natural system framework to organize and frame challenges and opportunities for biodiversity conservation on private lands.

Quinn¹,

Wood²

2017

E&S

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“…Gunton et al. () suggest the following all‐encompassing definition of SI: “changes to a farming system that will maintain or enhance specified kinds of agricultural provisioning while enhancing or maintaining the delivery of a specified range of other ecosystem services measured over a specified area and specified time frame”.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sustainable Intensification (SI) is generally considered a process by which agricultural productivity is enhanced without negatively impacting the environment, preferably also creating social and environmental benefits (Gunton, Firbank, Inman, & Winter, 2016;Struik & Kuyper, 2017;Weltin et al, 2018). Developed initially in an African context in the 1990s (Clay, Reardon, & Kangasniemi, 1998;Pretty, 1997;Reardon et al, 1997), the term "sustainable intensification" (SI) has become increasingly popular in scientific and policy discourses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What agricultural practices are most likely to deliver “sustainable intensification” in the UK?

Dicks

Rose

Ang

et al. 2018

Food and Energy Security

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Sustainable intensification is a process by which agricultural productivity is enhanced whilst also creating environmental and social benefits. We aimed to identify practices likely to deliver sustainable intensification, currently available for UK farms but not yet widely adopted. We compiled a list of 18 farm management practices with the greatest potential to deliver sustainable intensification in the UK, following a well‐developed stepwise methodology for identifying priority solutions, using a group decision‐making technique with key agricultural experts. The list of priority management practices can provide the focal point of efforts to achieve sustainable intensification of agriculture, as the UK develops post‐Brexit agricultural policy, and pursues the second Sustainable Development Goal, which aims to end hunger and promote sustainable agriculture. The practices largely reflect a technological, production‐focused view of sustainable intensification, including for example, precision farming and animal health diagnostics, with less emphasis on the social and environmental aspects of sustainability. However, they do reflect an integrated approach to farming, covering many different aspects, from business organization and planning, to soil and crop management, to landscape and nature conservation. For a subset of 10 of the priority practices, we gathered data on the level of existing uptake in English and Welsh farms through a stratified survey in seven focal regions. We find substantial existing uptake of most of the priority practices, indicating that UK farming is an innovative sector. The data identify two specific practices for which uptake is relatively low, but which some UK farmers find appealing and would consider adopting. These practices are: prediction of pest and disease outbreaks, especially for livestock farms; staff training on environmental issues, especially on arable farms.

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“…The case for the sustainable intensification (SI) of agriculture in order to meet rising demand for food while supporting ecosystem services, livelihoods, and wellbeing is widely accepted (Godfray & Garnett, ), despite some debate concerning the usefulness of the term (e.g. Gunton, Firbank, Inman, & Winter, ). It is therefore essential to be able to measure farm performance across the range of factors that contribute to SI, namely productivity, economics, human wellbeing, environmental impact and social characteristics (Smith et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the performance of commercial farms in England and Wales: Lessons for supporting the sustainable intensification of agriculture

Firbank

Elliott

Field

et al. 2018

Food and Energy Security

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Understanding the trade‐offs between yield, ecosystem services, and other societal benefits is a fundamental prerequisite for the sustainable intensification of agriculture. Here, we develop and test an holistic approach to assessing farm performance across production, social, financial, and environmental dimensions. A longlist of potential indicators was reduced to a smaller subset of Headline Indicators, covering financial performance, levels of food production (standardized in terms of energy content), social characteristics of the farmer (including age, level of education, and degree of business cooperation), hours worked on the farm and provision of public access, and environmental quality (including impacts on climate regulation and water quality). A new index for biodiversity was created and validated, based on land use and management. Data were collected from 59 English and Welsh farms, using a questionnaire structured to be similar to the UK Farm Business Survey. Data were analyzed per farm and per unit area. The main overall variation in Headline Indicators was due to positive relationships between production, profitability and predicted levels of nitrate and GHG emissions, while social variables and biodiversity were generally unrelated to production. Cereal production was associated with relatively low levels of GHG emissions per unit of food production. There were strong differences in indicator profiles between farm types. Such metrics have value in helping understand how best to drive sustainable intensification, especially as it should involve reducing the pollution footprint of food production.

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How scalable is sustainable intensification?

Cited by 58 publications

References 15 publications

Application of a coupled human natural system framework to organize and frame challenges and opportunities for biodiversity conservation on private lands.

Application of a coupled human natural system framework to organize and frame challenges and opportunities for biodiversity conservation on private lands.

What agricultural practices are most likely to deliver “sustainable intensification” in the UK?

Assessing the performance of commercial farms in England and Wales: Lessons for supporting the sustainable intensification of agriculture

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