A global database of diversified farming effects on biodiversity and yield

Andrea C. S\xe1nchez,Natalia Estrada-Carmona,Sarah K. Jones,Stella D. Juventia

doi:10.1038/s41597-021-01000-y

Abstract

With the Convention on Biological Diversity conference (COP15), United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), and United Nations Food Systems Summit, 2021 is a pivotal year for transitioning towards sustainable food systems. Diversified farming systems are key to more sustainable food production. Here we present a global dataset documenting outcomes of diversified farming practices for biodiversity and yields compiled following best standards for systematic review of primary studies and specifically designed for use in meta-analysis. The dataset includes 4076 comparisons of biodiversity outcomes and 1214 of yield in diversified farming systems compared to one of two reference systems. It contains evidence from 48 countries of effects on species from 33 taxonomic orders (spanning insects, plants, birds, mammals, eukaryotes, annelids, fungi, and bacteria) of diversified farming systems producing annual or perennial crops across 12 commodity groups. The dataset presented provides a resource for researchers and practitioners to easily access information on where diversified farming systems effectively contribute to biodiversity and food production outcomes.

Highlights

Background & SummaryOur food systems need to be transformed to provide nutritious food for the world’s growing population while halting and reversing pressure on local and global biodiversity and natural resources[1,2,3]
Diversified farming systems are at the core of agroecology, which has been proposed as a way of achieving sustainable food systems[4,5,6,7,8]
Previous reviews that have considered biodiversity and yield outcomes simultaneously tend to pool species into broad taxonomic groups and do not always record agronomic factors. This makes it difficult to use the information to understand what crop combinations, farm management and landscape contexts make diversified farming systems more likely to provide positive outcomes for biodiversity and yields. This is the level of information that is needed for interventions at the field and farm level

Summary

Introduction

Background & SummaryOur food systems need to be transformed to provide nutritious food for the world’s growing population while halting and reversing pressure on local and global biodiversity and natural resources[1,2,3].

Results

Conclusion