Gene drives are landscape-scale gene editing technologies that have the potential to reduce pests, crop damage, pesticide use and crop prices. One potential negative impact explored by this paper is the restriction of consumer choice affecting consumer welfare. In order to understand this impact, the paper surveyed US consumers about their preferences regarding gene drives compared with pesticide use and GM crops.

A consensus statement on a shared vision of the future for the food system has been published by WWF-UK and co-signed by representatives of several UK organisations, including Pasture for Life, the Soil Association, the Eating Better Alliance and the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission. The statement says that the food system should make space for nature both on farms and in wider landscapes; that farmers should be supported in reducing their use of pesticides and synthetic fertilisers; that regenerative soil management should become the norm; and that technology can play a role in sustainable food production. The statement also criticises intensive livestock production and the marketing of unhealthy ultra-processed foods. It does not call for a reduction in animal product consumption.

This report from The Royal Society sets out a “multifunctional” approach to land use (with a focus on the UK) - i.e. an approach that considers how land can produce not only goods with a market value (such as food) but also a wide range of products and services that for the most part do not have a market value (e.g. biodiversity provision, carbon sequestration and flood alleviation).

This book gives a detailed account of the history, theory, and current practices of rewilding. It includes chapters on the emergence of the rewilding movement in North America and in Europe; theoretical underpinnings such as trophic cascades, wildlife corridors and the substitution of extinct species with others that play similar ecological roles; case studies from several countries around the world including Mozambique and China; and the ethics and philosophy of rewilding.

This modelling paper, co-authored by TABLE member Elin Röös, examines the synergies and goal conflicts that could arise from different food taxation scenarios in Sweden. It finds that while taxing foods can reduce most environmental impacts, one scenario - reducing tax on plant-based products - might cause increases in environmental impacts by encouraging higher total food consumption. It also examines the trade-offs for land use and biodiversity protection associated with limiting beef consumption through taxation.

In this podcast from the Innovation Forum, representatives from the Rainforest Alliance, agriculture commodities trader Ecom and finance provider Norandino discuss a LandScale pilot project that is working on deforestation, resilient ecosystems and farm incomes in a coffee and cocoa growing region in Lamas Province, northern Peru. 

This paper, co-authored by Table member Georg Andersson, evaluates the trade-offs between greenhouse gas emissions, calorie output and biodiversity for several farm types in Sweden. It finds that while no one farm type maximises on-farm performance for all categories simultaneously, there is potential to manage the trade-offs, for example by reducing the land used for dairy farming in favour of both cropping for food production and extensive livestock grazing.

This briefing from UK NGO Sustain examines pressures on land in the UK and overseas, including the impacts of agriculture and the foods we choose to eat. It considers competing land uses such as biodiversity, hedgerows, food production, supporting new entrants into farming, climate mitigation, bioenergy production and land for leisure.

This book provides an overview of peatlands and their importance around the world, including chapters on peatland destruction and restoration projects.