Promoting a 'save and grow' approach to agriculture

Given the current and future challenges to our food supply and to the environment, sustainable intensification of agricultural production is emerging as a major priority for policymakers and international development partners.

Sustainable intensification, or "Save and Grow", has been defined as producing more from the same area of land while reducing negative environmental impacts and contributing more to natural capital and the flow of environmental services.

Sustainable crop production intensification is the first strategic objective of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). In order to achieve that objective, the FAO has endorsed the "ecosystem approach" in agricultural management. Essentially, the ecosystem approach uses inputs, such as land, water, seed and fertilizer, to complement the natural processes that support plant growth, including pollination, natural predation for pest control, and the action of soil biota that allows plants to access nutrients.