Contributions of biodiversity to the sustainable intensification of food production

Biodiverse agriculture is critical for the survival of the world’s food systems. A new study explores why and how to make agriculture sustainable.

A team of scientists from 13 research organizations, including World Agroforestry (ICRAF), has produced a study — Contributions of biodiversity to the sustainable intensification of food production: thematic study for the state of the world’s biodiversity for food and agriculture — for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

The study reviews how biologically diverse organisms contribute to the sustainable intensification of food production, with the positive interactions between annual crops, animal pollinators, trees, micro-organisms, livestock and aquatic animals supporting food production globally.