Policy Brief présenté pour discussion dans les COP Climat et Biodiversité, et Stockholm +50 | BACKGROUND The climate, biodiversity, water and health crises raise the crucial question of how we protect land while also producing food, fibre and biomass. Although this topic was addressed at the UN Food Systems Summit and at COP26 in 2021, the debate revolves around only two options presented as polar opposites: land sparing-high input, intensive farming that allows large portions of land to be "spared" for nature; and land sharing-biodiversity friendly low-input farming that shares land more equitably between nature and humans. In parallel, the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, to be discussed at the 15 th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), targets the protection of 30% of land and marine areas by 2030 (30 x 30 target). This target is fiercely debated because of: 1) its declarative nature, i.e., with no commitments on means and indicators; 2) its decoupling from the use of agricultural and forest areas, i.e., what is to be done with the remaining 70%? and 3) questions of State sovereignty, people' s land rights and environmental justice, i.e., in what geographic areas of the world and according to which forms of governance will the extension of protected areas be carried out? This policy brief reformulates the terms of the debate on land use within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. It shows that conservation policies are inseparable from the future of agriculture and food systems. It delivers four key messages:

With an increasing demand for high-quality, eco-friendly food products and growing concerns over ecological conservation, the development of ecology-based alternatives for ruminant production in China is urgently needed. This review discusses the capabilities for integrating grassland grazing into existing livestock farming systems to meet the contemporary human needs for high-quality foods and ecologically stable environments. Additionally, this review provides a critical analysis of the challenges and future directions associated with grassland-based ruminant farming systems. Integrating nutritional manipulation with grazing manipulation is critical for improving the productivity of grassland-based ecosystems and natural ecological functions. Biodiversity is the primary determinant of grassland ecosystem functions, while the composition and function of rumen microbiomes determine ruminant production performance. Future studies should focus on the following aspects: 1) how livestock grazing regulates grassland biodiversity and the mechanisms of grassland biodiversity maintenance, offering an important scientific basis for guiding grazing manipulation practices, including grazing intensity, livestock types, and grazing management practices; to 2) characterize the microbial ecology within the rumen of grazing ruminants to offer clarified instruction for the nutritional manipulation of grazing ruminants. Our recommendation includes creating a transdisciplinary system that integrates ecology, animal nutrition, and animal behavior to develop grassland-based ruminant farming systems sustainably, thereby achieving high-quality animal production and environmentally sustainable goals.

The importance of legumes in sustainable cropping systems has been studied extensively. Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are a rich world resource of biodiversity with two centers of domestication (Andes and Central America) and over 10 major market classes cultivated globally. Among legumes, common beans are recognized as a nutrient-dense, healthy food source due to their high protein, dietary fiber, and mineral content. Common beans are also a rich source of resistant and slowly digestible starch, eliciting a lower glycemic response. Some bioactive compounds present in beans have been reported to mitigate cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, hyper-cholesterolemia and cancer. Dry bean production systems provide unique advantages that support sustainability, including a low carbon footprint for cropping systems. The short growth cycle, which facilitates crop diversification and cover crop integration, is notable among the benefits of dry bean production. Symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) is an important aspect of common beans contributing to production sustainability. Other attributes that promote environmentally friendly production include modest fertilizer requirements and the trend towards direct harvest in dry beans. The sustainability implications of diversifying crop rotation using beans result in reduced requirements for environmentally unfriendly inputs and buffering of crop productivity under variable weather conditions. This review article covers dry beans' role in agricultural sustainability (biodiversity, SNF, rotational diversity, harvest management), as a sustainable source of nutrition and food security. Further discussion includes measures to enhance dry beans sustainability through breeding and crop management practices by addressing biotic and abiotic stresses.

Organic Farming is a system designed and maintained to produce agricultural products using methods and substances that preserve the integrity of organic agricultural products. Organic agriculture is a more sustainable alternative to the dominant agricultural model. Organic Farming reduces the risk of adverse environmental effects compared to conventional farming methods; in terms of soil fertility and nutrient management, organic Farming is suited to significantly improve soil fertility and nutrient management on the farm level; and comparative studies on biodiversity demonstrate that organic farming has a greater impact on biodiversity preservation. Furthermore, when comparing organic farming systems to conventional farming systems, the lower crop yields attained by organic systems may outweigh the benefits of using more environmentally friendly practices when calculating the environmental impact per product unit. Modern agriculture, which involves the use of pesticides and fertilizers, harms the environment by affecting soil fertility, water hardness, the development of insect resistance, and an increase in toxic residue through the food chain and animal feed, resulting in increased health problems, and many other serious health concerns and environmental degradation. Organic Farming is one of the most widely used methods, and it is widely regarded as the best alternative to avoiding the negative effects of chemical farming. It also has far more benefits than conventional and other modern agricultural practices. This study demonstrated that organic farming systems could be a viable method of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural sector. Also, organic farming is not only the model for sustainable agriculture and food security, but creative hybridizations of organic and conventional farming methods could assist to increase agricultural productivity globally.

This paper investigates how consumers can be guided towards healthy diets from sustainable and more animal-friendly food systems, in times when no single food system can be considered the best. In order to provide an alternative, the paper focuses on how farm animal welfare concerns can be translated into potential consumer goals, inspired by the “Three Rs” principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement, originally developed to systematically improve the welfare of laboratory animals. After some adaptations, the three goals established are 1) to eat less meat, and/or 2) “less and better” meat, and/or 3) “less worrisome” animal protein, respectively, which imply choices described in the literature on consumer behavior. This literature shows that the goal of eating less meat is relatively straightforward, but needs to be made more prominent, and that the goals of eating “less and better” meat or eating “less worrisome” animal protein need more nuances regarding the specific trade-offs that should be made in terms of species, production types and geographic locations. This may help to better integrate the repercussions of food choices for human health, animal welfare, climate change and biodiversity, the relative importance of which varies between countries and consumer segments. In conclusion, it should be emphasized that Reduction, Replacement and Refinement are not just different parts of the same process to meet human health and animal welfare challenges, but also powerful options to combat the climate, biodiversity and—last but not least—food security challenges of the next few decades.

Plantain (Musa paradisiaca AAB) is one of the main staple food crops in tropical areas, particularly in the Caribbean region. Therefore, supporting a sustainable production of plantain in this zone is crucial to secure food and to provide income to millions of people. We hypothesized that agroecological practices based on multi-functionality and biodiversity and that preserve soil should i) increase macrofauna abundance, ii) enhance soil chemical fertility, iii) improve soil physical structure, iv) reduce plant infestation by parasitic nematodes, and v) immediately achieve similar yield as in conventional systems. For this purpose, we compared plantain conventional and agroecological systems at the farm scale. The agroecological system consisted in a combination of three innovations: i) inputs of vermicompost to replace mineral fertilizers, ii) use of healthy planting material and iii) use of a mulching of living crop to control weeds. Ten months after the plantation, soil macrofauna abundance had doubled and taxonomic richness had increased by 45% in the agroecological system. In addition, soil structure was improved in the agroecological system (52% of biogenic aggregates in the agroecological system vs. 21 % in conventional systems), as well as the abundance of free-living nematodes associated to plantain roots increased by 73 % in the agroecological system. The abundance of Radopholus similis, one of main plant parasitic nematodes, decreased in the agroecological system. Moreover, the agroecological system achieved similar crop yield level than conventional systems. Agroecological practices are thus an efficient option to allow a fast transition from conventional to environmentally friendly cropping systems.

International audience | Plantain (Musa paradisiaca AAB) is one of the main staple food crops in tropical areas, particularly in the Caribbean region. Therefore, supporting a sustainable production of plantain in this zone is crucial to secure food and to provide income to millions of people. We hypothesized that agroecological practices based on multifunctionality and biodiversity and that preserve soil should i) increase macrofauna abundance, ii) enhance soil chemical fertility, iii) improve soil physical structure, iv) reduce plant infestation by parasitic nematodes, and v) immediately achieve similar yield as in conventional systems. For this purpose, we compared plantain conventional and agroecological systems at the farm scale. The agroecological system consisted in a combination of three innovations: i) inputs of vermicompost to replace mineral fertilizers, ii) use of healthy planting material and iii) use of a mulching of living crop to control weeds. Ten months after the plantation, soil macrofauna abundance had doubled and taxonomic richness had increased by 45% in the agroecological system. In addition, soil structure was improved in the agroecological system (52% of biogenic aggregates in the agroecological system vs. 21 % in conventional systems), as well as the abundance of free-living nematodes associated to plantain roots increased by 73 % in the agroecological system. The abundance of Radopholus similis, one of main plant parasitic nematodes, decreased in the agroecological system. Moreover, the agroecological system achieved similar crop yield level than conventional systems. Agroecological practices are thus an efficient option to allow a fast transition from conventional to environmentally friendly cropping systems

The conflict between food production and environmental conservation demands alternative agriculture practices to maintain or increase food production, protect and restore critical ecosystem processes, and reduce dependence on non-renewable agricultural inputs. Deforestation in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, for which agriculture has been a primary driver, already threatens the biome’s impressive biodiversity and the ecosystem services it helps sustain. Many small family farmers in Santa Catarina—located in the South of Brazil—have adopted the Voisin Rational Grazing System (VRG) as an alternative to conventional and environmentally detrimental dairy activities. This article presents the results of a research project designed to analyze the economic, social, and ecological VRG impacts based on farmers’ perceptions and economic accounts. We compare farmer profitability and critical social and environmental aspects of both systems using detailed interviews and monthly accounting of revenues and expenditures on VRG and conventional farms. We found that VRG is more profitable than the conventional dairy system in Santa Rosa de Lima. However, most farmers combine VRG with some conventional practices, affecting profitability and potential ecological benefits. The adoption of VRG in Santa Rosa de Lima nonetheless correlates with reduced use of environmentally harmful inputs, compatible with a gradual transition to a more ecologically-friendly and sustainable system.