Contributions of biodiversity to the sustainable intensification of food production – Thematic Study for The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture

In this study, the roles of biodiversity in sustainable food production are considered, assessing how these roles can be measured, the current state of knowledge and opportunities for intervention. In the case of annual crops, required interventions include breeding and selecting crops for more positive crop–crop and within-crop genotype–genotype interactions, and the integration of a wider range of crops, including new and ‘orphan’ crops, to support diversification in production systems, both spatially and temporally.