Promoting crop diversification for more sustainable agri-food systems: DiverIMPACTS policy brief

The policy brief has several key messages:

• Crop diversification can support a transition towards more sustainable agri-food systems, mitigate climate change and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals;
• Current national and European agri-food systems are still very much centred on dominant crops and associated long value chains;
• Crop diversification is hindered by barriers throughout the agri-food system. Such barriers should be removed through systems approaches, which take the whole system into account;
• Collaboration, innovation and learning among actors are key factors to scale out crop diversification;
• It is necessary to combine various diversification strategies that are adapted to local conditions and needs, and which evolve over time;
• Systems approaches and decision-support tools are needed to support actors along crop diversification pathways.