Evidence library of meta-analytical literature assessing the sustainability of agriculture – a dataset

In the last two decades, an exponentially growing number of meta-analyses (MAs) synthesize thousands of peer-reviewed studies on the environmental impacts of farming practices (FPs). This paper describes the iMAP-FP evidence library, a comprehensive dataset on the effects of 34 categories of FPs (such as agronomic practices, cropping and livestock systems, land management options and mitigation techniques) on 34 impacts including climate mitigation, soil health, environmental pollution, water use, nutrients cycling, biodiversity, and agricultural productivity. Through systematic screening, 570 MAs published since 2000 were selected and categorized according to the type of FP. We assessed their impacts, the geographic regions covered, and their quality. We extracted 3,811 effects and their statistical significance associated with sustainable FPs (intervention) compared to a control (typically conventional agriculture) across 234 different intervention-control pairs. Our dataset is accompanied with an online free-access library, which includes a catalogue of synthetic reports summarizing the available evidence on each evaluated FP.

SCHIEVANO Andrea;  PEREZ-SOBA AGUILAR Marta;  BOSCO Simona;  MONTERO CASTAÑO Ana;  CATARINO Rui;  CHEN Mathilde;  TAMBURINI Giovanni;  LANDONI Beatrice;  MANTEGAZZA Otho;  GUERRERO Irene;  BIELZA DIAZ-CANEJA Maria;  ASSOULINE Michael;  KOEBLE Renate;  DENTENER Frank;  VAN DER VELDE Marijn;  REGA Carlo;  FURLAN Andrea;  PARACCHINI Maria Luisa;  WEISS Franz;  ANGILERI Vincenzo;  TERRES Jean-Michel;  MAKOWSKI David; 

2024-08-31

NATURE PORTFOLIO

JRC139011

2052-4463 (online),   

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03682-6,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC139011,   

10.1038/s41597-024-03682-6 (online),