Sustainable agriculture Systems and practices for agricultural transition

The briefing addresses the lack of standardised definitions for sustainable agriculture, which increases the risk of greenwashing. It examines four representative production systems—regenerative, ecological intensification, sustainable intensification, and organic agriculture—and argues that sustainability should be assessed based on specific management practices rather than broad system labels. The author categorises practices into 'Always', 'Usually', and 'Sometimes' sustainable based on environmental impact, while emphasizing that all must meet 'do no significant harm' (DNSH) social standards. It identifies uncontrolled deforestation and the conversion of high-carbon stocks as permanently unsustainable practices.

• Agriculture is a major contributor to climate change, accounting for approximately 34% of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions globally. In 2019, emissions from within the farm gate were 7.2 Gt CO2 eq. yr−1, while land-use change contributed 3.5 Gt CO2 eq. yr−1.
• The lack of agreed-upon definitions for sustainable agriculture creates a substantial risk of greenwashing and incremental changes that do not deviate from business-as-usual practices.
• The document identifies four primary production systems linked to sustainable agriculture: regenerative agriculture (aiming to restore soil health and turn operations into carbon sinks), ecological intensification (optimising biological processes to replace artificial inputs), sustainable intensification (increasing yields without adverse environmental impact), and organic farming (focused on the non-use of agrochemicals).
• Management practices are categorised by their environmental impact: 'Always Sustainable' includes set-asides, biological buffer zones, and cover crops; 'Usually Sustainable' includes no-till, crop rotation, and precision agriculture; and 'Sometimes Sustainable' includes GMOs and ionising radiation.
• For any practice to be labelled sustainable, it must undergo a social assessment to ensure it imposes 'no significant harm' (DNSH) across the entire supply chain, including upstream and downstream sub-sectors.
• Certain practices are classified as permanently unsustainable, specifically uncontrolled deforestation, the conversion of high-carbon stocks like peatlands and permanent pasture, the clearing of protected areas, and the use of illegal chemicals.

APA

Climate Bonds Initiative (2022). Sustainable agriculture Systems and practices for agricultural transition. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Sustainable-Agriculture-Brief.pdf

Chicago

Climate Bonds Initiative. Sustainable agriculture Systems and practices for agricultural transition. 2022. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Sustainable-Agriculture-Brief.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Bonds Initiative |title=Sustainable agriculture Systems and practices for agricultural transition |date=September 2022 |url=https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Sustainable-Agriculture-Brief.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatebondsinitiative2022sustainable, author = {{Climate Bonds Initiative}}, title = {{Sustainable agriculture Systems and practices for agricultural transition}}, institution = {Climate Bonds Initiative}, year = {2022}, month = sep, url = {https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Sustainable-Agriculture-Brief.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }