Computer Science editorial
Open AccessOA2026
A Narrative Review on Nature-Positive Agriculture: Integrating Biodiversity Conservation with Climate-Resilient Farming
This narrative review synthesizes peer-reviewed evidence (2001–2026) on nature-positive agriculture, showing that biodiversity-enhancing practices like agroforestry, cover cropping, and integrated pest management deliver measurable co-benefits for soil health, carbon sequestration, pollination, and pest regulation. Scaling these benefits requires coordinated farm-, landscape-, and policy-level action, reformed subsidies, and alignment with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Radhey Shyam Singh; S. P. Singh; L. Kumar· International Journal of Environment and Climate Change· 2026· DOI 10.9734/ijecc/2026/v16i85672
The core problem
The accelerating deterioration of global biodiversity, driven in large part by the expansion and intensification of agricultural production, now constitutes one of the most urgent challenges facing humanity. Simultaneously, agriculture itself is increasingly vulnerable to the ecosystem service losses that biodiversity decline engenders. Nature-positive agriculture—a framework that seeks to halt and reverse biodiversity loss while sustaining productive, resilient, and economically viable food systems—has emerged as a compelling paradigm for reconciling food security with environmental stewardship. This narrative review synthesises peer-reviewed evidence on the ecological, agronomic, and policy dimensions of nature-positive agriculture, drawing on literature published between 2001 and 2026 and sourced from Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, and several field-specific databases. The review examines the bidirectional relationship between agricultural practice and biodiversity, explores the empirical basis for practice-based interventions, and evaluates landscape-scale and policy mechanisms for enabling systemic transition.
Innovation
This study employs a narrative review methodology, synthesising peer-reviewed literature published between 2001 and 2026. Sources were identified through systematic searches of Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, and several field-specific databases. The review focuses on three analytical dimensions: (1) the ecological and agronomic evidence for biodiversity-enhancing practices, including agroforestry, cover cropping, crop diversification, organic farming, and integrated pest management; (2) the bidirectional relationship between agricultural practice and biodiversity; and (3) landscape-scale and policy mechanisms for enabling systemic transition. No primary data collection was undertaken; the synthesis is interpretive and aims to identify consistent patterns, co-benefits, and research gaps across the retrieved literature.
Introduction
The accelerating deterioration of global biodiversity, driven in large part by the expansion and intensification of agricultural production, now constitutes one of the most urgent challenges facing humanity. Simultaneously, agriculture itself is increasingly vulnerable to the ecosystem service losses that biodiversity decline engenders. Nature-positive agriculture—a framework that seeks to halt and reverse biodiversity loss while sustaining productive, resilient, and economically viable food systems—has emerged as a compelling paradigm for reconciling food security with environmental stewardship. This narrative review synthesises peer-reviewed evidence on the ecological, agronomic, and policy dimensions of nature-positive agriculture, drawing on literature published between 2001 and 2026 and sourced from Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, and several field-specific databases. The review examines the bidirectional relationship between agricultural practice and biodiversity, explores the empirical basis for practice-based interventions, and evaluates landscape-scale and policy mechanisms for enabling systemic transition.
Why it matters
The synthesis reveals a compelling paradigm for reconciling food security with environmental stewardship, but also highlights critical research gaps. These include the need for place-based integration of indigenous knowledge, more robust socioeconomic assessments of nature-positive transitions, and stronger monitoring indicators aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The bidirectional relationship between agriculture and biodiversity means that agricultural vulnerability to ecosystem service losses can be mitigated through nature-positive practices, yet systemic transition requires policy coherence and coordinated action. The review concludes that while the ecological and agronomic case is strong, scaling nature-positive agriculture depends on governance innovations and equitable economic mechanisms.
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