International audience | Agricultural simplification continues to expand at the expense of more diverse forms of agriculture. This simplification, for example, in the form of intensively managed monocultures, poses a risk to keeping the world within safe and just Earth system boundaries. Here, we estimated how agricultural diversification simultaneously affects social and environmental outcomes. Drawing from 24 studies in 11 countries across 2655 farms, we show how five diversification strategies focusing on livestock, crops, soils, noncrop plantings, and water conservation benefit social (e.g., human well-being, yields, and food security) and environmental (e.g., biodiversity, ecosystem services, and reduced environmental externalities) outcomes. We found that applying multiple diversification strategies creates more positive outcomes than individual management strategies alone. To realize these benefits, well-designed policies are needed to incentivize the adoption of multiple diversification strategies in unison.

Agricultural simplification continues to expand at the expense of diversified agriculture and risk to planetary boundaries. Here, we estimate how agricultural diversification simultaneously affects social and environmental outcomes. Drawing from 24 studies in 11 countries across 2,655 farms, we show how five diversification strategies focusing on livestock, crops, soils, non-crop plantings, and water conservation benefit social (human well-being, yields, food security) and environmental (non-agricultural biodiversity, ecosystem services, reduced environmental externalities) outcomes. Our simple but far-reaching finding isWe found that applying multiple diversification strategies through ‘diversified farming systems’ can create more positive impacts than individual management strategies. Although agricultural diversification can bring positive outcomes, policy is needed to support multiple diversification strategies in unison. | Fil: Rasmussen, Laura Vang. Universidad de Copenhagen; Dinamarca | Fil: Grass, Ingo. Universidad de Hohenheim; Alemania | Fil: Mehrabi, Zia. State University of Colorado at Boulder; Estados Unidos | Fil: Smith, Olivia M.. Michigan State University; Estados Unidos | Fil: Bezner Kerr, Rachel. Cornell University; Estados Unidos | Fil: Blesh, Jennifer. University of Michigan; Estados Unidos | Fil: Garibaldi, Lucas Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones En Recursos Naturales, Agroecologia y Desarrollo Rural. - Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro. Instituto de Investigaciones En Recursos Naturales, Agroecologia y Desarrollo Rural.; Argentina | Fil: Isaac, Marney E.. University of Toronto; Canadá | Fil: Kennedy, Christina M.. The Nature Conservancy; Estados Unidos | Fil: Wittman, Hannah. University of British Columbia; Canadá | Fil: Batáry, Péter. Hun-ren Centre For Ecological Research; Hungría | Fil: Buchori, Damayanti. Bogor Agricultural University; Indonesia | Fil: Cerda, Rolando. Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza; Costa Rica | Fil: Chará, Julián. Center for Research on Sustainable Agricultural Systems; Colombia | Fil: Crowder, David W.. Washington State University; Estados Unidos | Fil: Darras, Kevin. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; Francia | Fil: DeMaster, Kathryn. University of California; Estados Unidos | Fil: Garcia, Karina. University of Kentucky; Estados Unidos | Fil: Gómez, Manuel. Federación Colombiana de Ganaderos; Colombia | Fil: Gonthier, David. University of Kentucky; Estados Unidos | Fil: Hidayat, Purnama. IPB University; Indonesia | Fil: Hipólito, Juliana. Universidade Federal da Bahia; Brasil | Fil: Hirons, Mark. University of Oxford; Reino Unido | Fil: Hoey, Lesli. University of Michigan; Estados Unidos | Fil: James, Dana. University of British Columbia; Canadá | Fil: John, Innocensia. University Of Dar Es Salaam; Tanzania | Fil: Jones, Andrew D.. University of Michigan; Estados Unidos | Fil: Karp, Daniel S.. University of California at Davis; Estados Unidos | Fil: Kebede, Yodit. Université Montpellier II; Francia | Fil: Bezner Kerr, Carmen. University of Toronto; Canadá | Fil: Klassen, Susanna. University of British Columbia; Canadá | Fil: Kotowska, Martyna. Universität Göttingen; Alemania | Fil: Kreft, Holger. Universität Göttingen; Alemania | Fil: Llanque, Ramiro. Consejo de Salud Rural Andino; Bolivia | Fil: Levers, Christian. University of British Columbia; Canadá | Fil: Lizcano, Diego J.. The Nature Conservancy; Bolivia | Fil: Lu, Adrian. University of California; Estados Unidos | Fil: Madsen, Sidney. University of British Columbia; Canadá | Fil: Nunes Marques, Rosebelly. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil | Fil: Buss Martins, Pedro. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil | Fil: Melo, America. The Nature Conservancy; Colombia | Fil: Nyantakyi-Frimpong, Hanson. University Of Denver.; Estados Unidos | Fil: Olimpi, Elissa M.. Conservation Science Partners; Estados Unidos | Fil: Owen, Jeb P.. Washington State University; Estados Unidos | Fil: Pantevez, Heiber. Federación Colombiana de Ganaderos; Colombia | Fil: Qaim, Matin. Universitat Bonn; Alemania | Fil: Redlich, Sarah. Julius Maximilians Universitat Wurzburg. Biozentrum; Alemania | Fil: Scherber, Christoph. Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science; Alemania. Universitat Bonn; Alemania | Fil: Sciligo, Amber R.. The Organic Center; Estados Unidos | Fil: Snapp, Sieglinde. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center; México | Fil: Snyder, William E.. University of Georgia; Estados Unidos | Fil: Steffan Dewenter, Ingolf. Julius Maximilians Universitat Wurzburg. Biozentrum; Alemania | Fil: Stratton, Anne Elise. University of Michigan; Estados Unidos | Fil: Taylor, Joseph M.. University of Georgia; Estados Unidos | Fil: Tscharntke, Teja. Universität Göttingen; Alemania | Fil: Valencia, Vivian. University of Agriculture Wageningen; Países Bajos | Fil: Vogel, Cassandra. Julius Maximilians Universitat Wurzburg. Biozentrum; Alemania | Fil: Kremen, Claire. University of British Columbia; Canadá

Agricultural simplification continues to expand at the expense of more diverse forms of agriculture. This simplification, for example, in the form of intensively managed monocultures, poses a risk to keeping the world within safe and just Earth system boundaries. Here, we estimated how agricultural diversification simultaneously affects social and environmental outcomes. Drawing from 24 studies in 11 countries across 2655 farms, we show how five diversification strategies focusing on livestock, crops, soils, noncrop plantings, and water conservation benefit social (e.g., human well-being, yields, and food security) and environmental (e.g., biodiversity, ecosystem services, and reduced environmental externalities) outcomes. We found that applying multiple diversification strategies creates more positive outcomes than individual management strategies alone. To realize these benefits, well-designed policies are needed to incentivize the adoption of multiple diversification strategies in unison.

Agricultural simplification continues to expand at the expense of more diverse forms of agriculture. This simplification, for example, in the form of intensively managed monocultures, poses a risk to keeping the world within safe and just Earth system boundaries. Here, we estimated how agricultural diversification simultaneously affects social and environmental outcomes. Drawing from 24 studies in 11 countries across 2655 farms, we show how five diversification strategies focusing on livestock, crops, soils, noncrop plantings, and water conservation benefit social (e.g., human well-being, yields, and food security) and environmental (e.g., biodiversity, ecosystem services, and reduced environmental externalities) outcomes. We found that applying multiple diversification strategies creates more positive outcomes than individual management strategies alone. To realize these benefits, well-designed policies are needed to incentivize the adoption of multiple diversification strategies in unison.