A new Nature Food Perspective argues that many of the problems facing agriculture cannot be solved through isolated technical fixes. Pesticides, fertilizers, resistant varieties or digital technologies can address specific constraints, but their effectiveness may remain limited when the ecological and social systems surrounding crop production are overlooked.

Wyckhuys, Barrios and Fonte identify six leverage points for agroecological transformation: context-specific ecological design, multifunctionality, integration of crop genetic resources with wider biodiversity, co-creation of scientific and local knowledge, stronger links between agriculture, nutrition and One Health, and greater integration of social sciences into agricultural research and innovation.

Biodiversity runs through much of this argument. Pollination, natural pest regulation, nutrient cycling, soil functioning and water regulation are not separate services that agriculture can manage independently. They emerge from interactions among crops, microorganisms, insects, surrounding habitats and farming practices. The authors therefore argue for moving beyond field-level interventions towards landscape approaches that deliberately integrate on-farm and off-farm biodiversity.

But the Perspective also makes another important point: systems thinking applies to knowledge as much as it does to ecology. Farmers continuously experiment and adapt practices to local conditions. Combining this experience with scientific evidence through participatory research, farmer-to-farmer learning and open digital platforms could help make agroecological solutions more locally relevant and easier to scale.

The message is ultimately quite practical. Transforming agrifood systems is unlikely to come from finding a single better technology. It requires connecting technologies, biodiversity, farmer knowledge, institutions and policies, and evaluating agricultural performance beyond yield alone.