(3) Agricultural activities have many costs and benefits, but methods of
evaluating the trade-offs are still poorly developed72. We need better
data and decision support tools to improve management decisions73,
productivity and environmental stewardship.
(4) The search for agricultural solutions should remain technologyneutral.
There are multiple paths to improving the production, food
security and environmental performance of agriculture, and we should
not be locked into a single approach a priori, whether it be conventional
agriculture, genetic modification or organic farming.
The challenges facing agriculture today are unlike anything we have
experienced before, and they require revolutionary approaches to solving
food production and sustainability problems. In short, new agricultural
systems must deliver more human value, to those who need it most,
with the least environmental harm.