Common ground: restoring land health for sustainable agriculture 3. Establish targets and indicators at national and global levels for sustainable agriculture Adoption of sustainable agriculture approaches should be up-scaled by establishing clear targets for sustainability metrics. More specifically, the agriculture sector should aim for a net-positive impact on key indicators of biodiversity by 2030, including the stabilisation of the total land area under agriculture, increase of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes, and reduced pollution and greenhouse gas emission. These indicators should complement socioeconomic data on incomes, employment, poverty reduction, and livelihood resilience, especially for those most in need, including youth and women. 4. Reward ecosystem services to incentivise sustainable farming The global transition to sustainable agriculture requires a shift from thinking of agriculture in terms of 'food, fibre and fuel' (and other products), to thinking in terms of 'production, water, climate and nature' (and other services). The agriculture sector's overriding policy goal should be to enhance the overall value of farming, promoting all values of agricultural soil, land and landscapes and the services provided to society, and putting in place relevant regulations and incentives. Innovative incentives and de-risking measures need to be designed and tested, which requires creative and coherent policy frameworks. 5. Promote change throughout the global food system to enhance sustainability Restoring and conserving soil and land health must be promoted as an integral part of wider system transformation, focusing on national and international policy convergence to connect soils and land health with sustainable and healthy diets. Public subsidies and private financial flows should be redirected from conventional to more sustainable agriculture, while unlocking factors that block the transformation, such as input subsidies, specialisation of systems, standardised supply chains, and power asymmetries. Greater attention should be given to responsible landscape and supply chain investments that protect healthy soils and reward sustainable farming practices. 6. Build consensus on environmental stewardship in the agricultural sector Dialogue between the agriculture and conservation communities must be intensified at local, national and international levels. The agriculture sector need improved information on the ecological and living nature of soils as natural capital. Conservation actors need greater appreciation of sustainable agriculture as a solution for increasing biodiversity, and agricultural landscapes as an opportunity to expand global conservation area coverage. New or adapted institutions may be required to incentivise action and secure sustainability outcomes at the agroecosystem or landscape level. xii Common ground: restoring land health for sustainable agriculture We wish to express our sincere thanks to our peer reviewers Bruce Campbell (CGIAR: Consultative Group on International Agr...
