Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Changing the agriculture and environment conversation

Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 1, Article number: 0018 (2017) Cite this article

Subjects

The land sharing/sparing debate has stagnated. Finding a way forward requires that we ask new questions and, crucially, focus on human well-being and ecosystem services.

One of the most critical problems of our time is guaranteeing food security for all while at the same time shrinking agriculture's overlarge environmental footprint. In environmental and agricultural circles, a debate has arisen as to the best way to do this. Some argue that achieving balance will require land sparing, while others argue that land sharing is a better solution. The former propose an agricultural landscape in which some land is set aside for wildlife and the rest farmed intensively for the highest possible yields; the latter propose an increase in farmed land, but use of wildlife-friendly techniques such as retaining hedgerows. This debate is being spurred on by increasing recognition of the role of agriculture in both poverty alleviation1,2 and environmental degradation3,4 and a sense that the political will to do something about it might be close at hand.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Agriculture for Development: World Development Report 2008 (The World Bank, 2007).

  2. Christiaensen, L., Demery, L. & Kuhl, J. J. Dev. Econ. 96, 239–254 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Foley, J. et al. Nature 478, 337–342 (2011)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Steffen, W. et al. Science 347, 1259855 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Green, R., Cornell, S. J., Scharlemann, J. P. W. & Balmford, A. Science 307, 550–555 (2005)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Pimentel, D. et al. BioScience 42, 354–362 (1992)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Borlaug, N. Science 318, 1151062 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Rudel, T. K., Schneider, L. & Uriarte, M. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 106, 20675–20680 (2009)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Phalan, B., Onial, M., Balmford, A. & Green, R. E. Science 333, 1289–1291 (2011)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Chappell, J. & LaValle, L. Agr. Hum. Values 28, 3–26 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Raudsepp-Hearne, C. et al. BioScience 60, 576–589 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Fischer, J. et al. Conserv. Lett. 7, 149–157 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. elena.bennett@mcgill.ca

  2. @ElenaBennett

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Elena M. Bennett is in the McGill School of Environment and the Department of Natural Resource Sciences, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec H9X 3V9, Canada.,

    Elena M. Bennett

Authors
  1. Elena M. Bennett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elena M. Bennett.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bennett, E. Changing the agriculture and environment conversation. Nat Ecol Evol 1, 0018 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-016-0018

Download citation

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-016-0018

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing