Achieving win-win outcomes for biodiversity and yield through diversified farming

To leverage agriculture's potential to better benefit both people and nature, policymakers need clear messages about which farming practices positively impact biodiversity yields, when trade-offs arise. Existing reviews analyse effects of different agricultural on either or yield, without considering interactions. Here, we applied multinomial quantile regression models synthesize global evidence synergies between using 764 paired observations (from 43 studies across 18 countries) comparing diversified simplified systems. Results show that farmland diversification led win-win outcomes for yield in 23% cases, while a win coupled with loss was the most likely outcome (28% cases). Yield responses were negatively correlated, meaning diversifying systems solely pursuit production goals is unlikely lead markedly biodiversity, vice-versa. Yet certain situations made significantly more likely, including crop animal production, multiple (e.g., intercropping cover crops), combined, no agrochemicals applied, occurred temperate climates, enhanced below-ground taxa. Win-win also than lose-lose measured as richness richness-evenness, but not abundance, suggesting contexts can effectively enhance species diversity increasing yields. Overall, commodity group bioclimatic location amongst important contextual factors influencing likelihood synergy trade-off accounts these less unexpected outcomes. Our novel method up-to-date review frequently leads and/or compared monocultures stripped natural vegetation, opening pathway sustainable production.