Beyond organic farming - harnessing biodiversity-friendly landscapes

We challenge the widespread appraisal that organic farming is the fundamental alternative to conventional farming for harnessing biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Certification of organic production is largely restricted to banning synthetic agrochemicals, resulting in limited benefits for biodiversity but high yield losses despite ongoing intensification and specialisation. In contrast, successful agricultural measures to enhance biodiversity include diversifying cropland and reducing field size, which can multiply biodiversity while sustaining high yields in both conventional and organic systems. Achieving a landscape level mosaic of natural habitat patches and fine-grained cropland diversification in both conventional and organic agriculture is key for promoting large-scale biodiversity. This needs to be urgently acknowledged by policy makers for an agricultural paradigm shift.

Automated summary

Organic farming is not the only alternative for harnessing biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Successful agricultural measures such as diversifying crops and reducing field size are crucial for enhancing biodiversity. Creating a landscape level mosaic of natural habitat patches and crop diversification is key for promoting large-scale biodiversity in both conventional and organic agriculture.