The Scientific Group for theUN Food Systems Summit
https://sc-fss2021.org/

Scientific Group Report Summary

Boost Nature Positive Production
byElizabeth Hodson, Urs Niggli, Kaoru Kitajima, Rattan Lal, Claudia Sadoff

This paper provides a high-level overview ofevidence in favour of nature-positive food systems, discussing opportunities and challenges
associated with sustainable, efficient agricultural production with a view to concrete policy
suggestions.
Definition
Nature-positive food systems are characterized by a regenerative, non-depleting andnon-destructive use of natural resources. Itis based on stewardship of the environmentand biodiversity as the foundation of criticalecosystem services, including carbon sequestration and soil, water, and climate regulation. Nature Positive Food Systems refer toprotection, sustainable management and restoration of productive system. Finally, nature
positive food systems cover the growing demand for food in a sufficient way and include
sustainable and healthy nutrition.

•First Pillar: Protect natural systems andprotected areas from new conversions
for food production and save and set
aside some land and water back to nature•

Second Pillar: Sustainably manage existing food production systems•Third Pillar: Restore and rehabilitate degraded systems for sustainable food production and ecosystem services

The transition to nature-positive food systems
is slowed or made impossible by numerous
agronomic, economic and social challenges,
which are compounded by deficits in knowledge systems.

Cohen-Shacham et al. (2016) have defined
the term Nature-based Solutions (NbS), an
overall concept that we use for nature-positive
food systems accordingly. It is based on threepillars:1•Agronomic challenges include yield reductions related with nature-positiveproduction•

Economic challenges include higher
labour demand, higher transactions
costs, failed valorisation of sustainability
throughout the value chain•

Political challenges include policy incoherence•Deficits along the agricultural knowledge systems include weak knowledge
and advisory systems.

Scientific Group Report Summary
ing habitat and biodiversity loss, land and water
degradation, and greenhouse gas emissions.
These phenomena, in turn, undermine the productivity, sustainability and resilience of foodsystems. This vicious circle can be broken if wetake several fundamental steps to realign ourfood, feed and fiber production to achieve nature-positive agricultural production at scale.
This realignment builds on innovations atlandscape-level, including soil and water management, land use planning, biodiversity conservation, principles of agroecology and circular economy approaches, new science andtechnologies in molecular biology and plant
breeding, alternative protein sources, and digital tools for the management of agriculture,and land and natural resources.
Importantly, shifting food systems from net
nature-negative to nature-positive will require
not only innovation in technologies and practices, but changes in food systems governance.
This entails radical change in policies, investments, incentives, and subsidies that today failto promote these practices. Nature-positive approaches will need to be integrated into agricultural extension programs, school and college
curricula, and vocational educational programs.
And they will need to build on broad, inclusive
and empowered partnerships – with women,
small-farmers, and the private sector among
others – to co-create, promote, and entrenchnature-positive innovation.

A systematic change towards nature-positive food systems requires a fundamental reorientation of many societal actors and a realignment of the cooperation between them. The
inclusion of local actors, particularly of the mostvulnerable voices, in decision-making will leadto more effective solutions. The calls for action
can provide guidance to ensure an integrated,systemic approach:•Action 1: Increase policy coherence andstrengthen adequate governance•Action 2: Improve sustainable soil management•Action 3: Boost knowledge and innovation for nature-positive food systems•

Action 4: Adapt and intensify the knowledge sharing of farmers, farm advisors
and farm teachers.

•Action 5: Strengthen information for citizen on sustainable nutrition and fooddiets.

•Action 6: Empower rural areas by crossfarm co-operations and through high local value creation•Action 7: Improve access to land, waterand biodiversity especially for women

Today’s food systems are “net nature-negative”. They can, and must, become “nature-positive.” Food systems across the world are driv-

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The full paper can be accessed at https://sc-fss2021.org/materials/scientific-group-reports-andbriefs. Authors‘ affiliations are listed there as well.
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