Agriculture is a fundamentally important human activity that intrinsically depends on nature and at the same time poses a threat to it. Agriculture depends on healthy ecosystems and ecosystem services, such as fresh water, soil fertility, nutrient cycling, pest regulation and pollination. Biodiversity forms the foundation of food production: without biological diversity, no fertile soils; without pollination, no yields; without aquatic ecosystems, no water and no agriculture; without wild genetic diversity no new (natural) crop varieties or resilience to diseases. The extensive transformation of natural ecosystems into agricultural lands for crop production or pasture have been the principal cause of habitat loss. Reducing the variety of landscapes and habitats has detrimental effects on animal life and destroys many native plants and species. Conventional intensive agriculture relying on industrial farming methods is harmful to nature. Habitat degradation occurs through deforestation land use change, further aggravated through unsustainable farming practices, such as monocropping, excessive pesticide or fertilizer use or heavy tilling. Intensified agricultural production degrades soils and ecosystems, impacting the productive capacity of the land, as well as above- and below-ground ecological communities. Heavy tillage, monocropping and excessive use of agrochemicals are harmful to beneficial and indispensable micro-organism and invertebrate populations that help plants with nutrient availability and disease management. Conventional food production is also heavily resource intensive – it depends on the use of fertilisers, pesticides, energy, water and land. The use of pesticides, fertilisers and energy in agriculture can lead to soil, water and air pollution and global warming. Livestock farms and operations generate greenhouse gas emissions from animal digestion and manure and leads to water pollution.