Social-ecological outcomes of agricultural intensification

Rasmussen, Laura Vang Coolsaet, Brendan Martin, Adrian Mertz, Ole Pascual, Unai Corbera, Esteve Dawson, Neil Fisher, Janet A. Franks, Phil Ryan, Casey M. et al.[show all]

Land-use intensification in agrarian landscapes is seen as a key strategy to simultaneously feed humanity and use ecosystems sustainably, but the conditions that support positive social-ecological outcomes remain poorly documented. We address this knowledge gap by synthesizing research that analyses how agricultural intensification affects both ecosystem services and human well-being in low- and middle-income countries. Overall, we find that agricultural intensification is rarely found to lead to simultaneous positive ecosystem service and well-being outcomes. This is particularly the case when ecosystem services other than food provisioning are taken into consideration.