Joint environmental and social benefits from diversified agriculture. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38574149/)

These scientists wanted to understand how different ways of farming can affect both people and the environment. They looked at 24 studies from 11 countries that included 2655 farms. The scientists focused on five different ways to make farming more diverse: having a variety of animals, growing different types of crops, taking care of the soil, planting non-crop plants, and conserving water.

They found that when farmers used a combination of these diversification strategies, it had good effects on both people and nature. For example, it improved human well-being, increased crop yields, and made sure there was enough food for everyone. It also helped protect biodiversity, provided more services from ecosystems, and reduced the harm done to the environment.

The scientists think that to make these positive changes happen, it's important for governments and organizations to create rules and rewards that encourage farmers to use many different diversification strategies together.

Rasmussen LV., Grass I., Mehrabi Z., Smith OM., Bezner-Kerr R., Blesh J., Garibaldi LA., Isaac ME., Kennedy CM., Wittman H., Batary P., Buchori D., Cerda R., Chara J., Crowder DW., Darras K., DeMaster K., Garcia K., Gomez M., Gonthier D., Hidayat P., Hipolito 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 Apr 5;384(6691):87-93. doi: 10.1126/science.adj1914. Epub 2024 Apr 4.