Agriculture

Version 1 · updated 2026-08-03

Overview

Agriculture is the deliberate cultivation of plants and animals for food, fiber, and other products, and it is undergoing a profound transformation as it confronts the dual challenges of feeding a growing global population and reducing its environmental footprint. The sector is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane and nitrous oxide, and a significant driver of land use change and biodiversity loss. In response, a range of actors—from farmers and agronomists to policymakers and researchers—are exploring ways to make agriculture more sustainable, resilient, and productive. This involves everything from developing new crop varieties and improving soil health to redesigning farming systems and implementing policies that incentivize environmental stewardship. The future of agriculture will be shaped by the interplay of technological innovation, ecological understanding, economic pressures, and societal demands for sustainability.

Subareas

Agricultural production data & statistics

• Reliable data on crop and livestock production, land use, prices, and farm structure are essential for understanding agricultural systems and informing policy. National statistical agencies and international organizations collect and disseminate these data.
• Agricultural statistics are used to monitor food security, track market trends, and evaluate the impacts of policies and shocks. They also underpin emissions inventories and sustainability assessments.
• The quality and comparability of agricultural data vary across countries, and there are gaps in coverage, particularly for smallholder and informal sectors. Improving data collection and integration is a priority for research and policy.
• New data sources, such as satellite imagery and farm-level sensors, are complementing traditional surveys, offering more timely and detailed information. However, these also raise issues of privacy and data ownership.

Agronomy research & crop science

• Agronomy is the science of crop production and soil management, and it underpins efforts to increase yields sustainably. Research in this area focuses on plant breeding, genetics, soil fertility, pest and disease management, and cropping systems.
• Long-term field experiments, some running for over a century, provide critical insights into the effects of different management practices on soil health and crop productivity. These trials are essential for understanding slow-changing processes like soil organic matter dynamics.
• Recent advances in genomics and biotechnology are accelerating crop improvement, enabling the development of varieties with higher yields, better stress tolerance, and improved nutritional content. However, the adoption of genetically modified crops remains controversial in some regions.
• Agronomy research is increasingly interdisciplinary, integrating data science, remote sensing, and machine learning to optimize inputs and predict outcomes. This 'precision agriculture' approach aims to tailor management to local conditions, reducing waste and environmental impact.

Farm-environment interaction & soil health

• Soil health is the foundation of agricultural productivity and environmental quality. Healthy soils support plant growth, regulate water, and store carbon, but intensive farming practices can degrade soil structure, deplete organic matter, and increase erosion.
• Regenerative agriculture and agroecology are approaches that aim to restore and enhance soil health through practices like cover cropping, reduced tillage, crop rotation, and integrated crop-livestock systems. These methods can improve soil organic matter, biodiversity, and water retention.
• The relationship between farming and biodiversity is complex: some agricultural practices harm wildlife, while others can create habitats. Agri-environment schemes and organic farming are examples of efforts to mitigate negative impacts and promote biodiversity on farmland.
• Measuring soil health is challenging due to its many dimensions, but indicators like soil organic carbon, microbial activity, and aggregate stability are increasingly used. There is growing interest in soil carbon sequestration as a climate solution, but its potential and permanence are debated.

Historical food systems & systems history

• The history of agriculture is a history of systems: how farming practices, food distribution, and consumption patterns have co-evolved with social, economic, and environmental changes. Understanding this long-run perspective is crucial for contextualizing current challenges.
• The 'systems history' approach examines agriculture as a complex adaptive system, analyzing feedback loops, path dependencies, and tipping points. It reveals how past decisions, such as the Green Revolution's focus on high-yielding varieties, have shaped today's agricultural landscapes and vulnerabilities.
• Historical land use change, such as the conversion of grasslands and forests to cropland, has had lasting impacts on soil carbon, biodiversity, and hydrology. These legacies influence current ecosystem services and the potential for future land management.
• The evolution of food systems, from local subsistence to globalized supply chains, has increased efficiency but also created vulnerabilities, such as dependence on a few crop varieties and long-distance transport. Historical analysis can inform debates about resilience and sustainability.

Land use & agricultural policy

• Agricultural policy shapes land use decisions through subsidies, regulations, and trade agreements. In many regions, farm payments are being reformed to reward environmental outcomes, such as carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, and water quality improvement.
• The European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a major driver of land use in Europe, and its recent reforms emphasize 'green architecture' with eco-schemes that pay farmers for sustainable practices. Similar shifts are occurring in other countries, reflecting a broader trend toward 'public money for public goods'.
• Land use change, such as deforestation for agriculture, is a major source of emissions and biodiversity loss. Policies that address land use, such as the EU's deforestation-free supply chain regulation, aim to reduce the environmental footprint of agricultural commodities.
• The agricultural transition to net-zero will require significant changes in land management, including potentially freeing up land for nature restoration or bioenergy. Policymakers face the challenge of balancing food security, farmer livelihoods, and environmental goals.

Net-zero agriculture & farm GHG emissions

• Agriculture contributes roughly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, primarily as methane from livestock and rice paddies, and nitrous oxide from fertilizer use. Reducing these emissions is critical for meeting climate targets, but it is complicated by the need to maintain food production.
• Net-zero agriculture aims to balance emissions with removals, often through practices like carbon sequestration in soils, agroforestry, and improved manure management. However, measuring and verifying these removals is challenging, and there is debate over the permanence and additionality of soil carbon.
• Policy and market mechanisms, such as carbon credits and government incentive programs, are emerging to reward farmers for adopting low-emission practices. Yet, the economic viability of these approaches depends on carbon prices and the cost of practice changes.
• The sector is also exploring technological solutions, including feed additives to reduce livestock methane, precision agriculture to optimize fertilizer use, and breeding for lower-emission traits. These innovations are at various stages of development and adoption.

Trade press / farming news

• Trade press and farming news outlets provide timely information on market prices, weather events, policy changes, and technological innovations. They serve as a key channel for farmers, agribusinesses, and policymakers to stay informed.
• These outlets often report on 'novel empirical events'—such as harvest yields, disease outbreaks, or trade disruptions—that can have immediate impacts on agricultural markets and decisions.
• The trade press also covers the business side of agriculture, including mergers and acquisitions, input costs, and supply chain dynamics. This information is crucial for understanding the economic forces shaping the sector.
• While trade press is not academic, it often provides early signals of trends that later become subjects of research and policy. It is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to understand the current state of agriculture.

Open questions

• How can agriculture reduce its greenhouse gas emissions while ensuring food security for a growing global population?
• What are the most effective policy mechanisms to incentivize sustainable land management and soil health?
• Can technological innovations, such as precision agriculture and gene editing, be deployed at scale to improve sustainability without exacerbating social inequalities?
• How can we balance the competing demands on land for food production, nature conservation, and bioenergy in a net-zero future?