Agriculture is the largest single source of environmental degradation, responsible for over 30% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, 70% of freshwater use and 80% of land conversion: it is the single largest driver of biodiversity loss (Foley et al. 2011, 2005; IPBES 2019; Willett et al. 2019).

Agriculture also underpins poor human health, contributing to 11 million premature deaths annually. While too many stillstruggle from acute hunger, a growing number of individuals, including in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), struggle to access healthy foods. Greater consideration for, and integration of, biodiversity in agriculture is a key solution space for improving health, eliminating hunger and achieving nature-positive development objectives.

In November 2020, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) commissioned this rapid evidence review to increase knowledge of the linkages between agricultural practices and biodiversity, within the framework of the UK COP26 Presidency on agricultural innovation. The review documents the best available evidence of agriculture’s relationships with biodiversity, drawing on the contributions of leading biodiversity experts, and recommends actions that can be taken to move towards more
biodiversity/nature-positive production through the delivery of integrated agricultural solutions on climate, biodiversity, nutrition and livelihoods. Taking a whole-of-food-system approach and bringing together a large body of evidence, the review accounts for aspects not typically captured in a standalone primary piece of research, and indicates where there are critical gaps. Agriculture currently occupies 40% of the global land surface.

At least 10-20% of semi-natural habitat per km2 is needed to ensure ecosystem functions, notably pollination, biological pest control and climate regulation, and to prevent soil erosion, nutrient loss and water contamination. Today, 20% of
agricultural lands have insufficient biodiversity to provide those services, an unacceptable risk for food security.

Agriculture thus needs a multipronged approach. This requires a shift towards regenerative production systems that deliver more diversified diets coupled with strict conservation of intact habitats. Diversification strategies within fields, between fields and across landscapes are often regenerative, synergistic and multipurpose, and can bolster ecosystem functions within resilient agricultural production systems. Regenerative agricultural practices can generate additional critical ecosystem services by maintaining biodiversity in agricultural lands. Atscale, these practices offer the potential to sequester 4.3-6.9 Gt CO2e year-1 [Medium Agreement, Medium Evidence], create 12- 17 M km2 habitat for biodiversity [High Agreement, High Evidence] and increase connectivity for biodiversity [High Agreement, Limited Evidence].