Current conventional farming systems are heavily reliant on agrochemical inputs that may cause pollution of semi-natural habitats and are implicated in declining biodiversity causing disruption of  ecological services (Geiger et al. 2010; Rusch et al. 2010). At the same time, the expected need to produce 70% more food by 2050 (UN, 2010) will require further intensification of agricultural land use. These developments call for bio-technical and social breakthroughs to improve the sustainability of farming systems (Foresight, 2011) and to escape from the cycle of further intensification and greater degradation of ecological services.

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