Enhancing green productivity and efficiency through innovative approaches to agricultural system research

Agriculture is undergoing a pivotal transformation, shifting from a singular focus on food security to interdisciplinary research that encompasses food security, environmental protection and sustainable use of resources. The growing global population and climate change exert the urgency to adopt sustainable practices that balance crop productivity and environmental stewardship. The merit of the approach of past agricultural research, typically centered on single processes and limited to specific disciplines and goals, is now a subject to debate. There is need for a multi-objective approach, an enhancement of the whole industry chain enhancement (involves service from the initial raw material stage to the final consumer) and a holistic approach for sustainable agricultural development. To address these challenges, this article presents an innovative agricultural system research approach. This approach integrates interdisciplinary research and advocates for a combined top-down and bottom-up strategy. The concept of innovative agriculture refers to redesigning systems through technological integration for large-scale application, ultimately aiming to enhance overall crop production, environmental sustainability and efficiency. The top-down approach sets yield targets and environmental thresholds at various scales, aligning with national objectives for food security, resource use efficiency and ecological sustainability. This method determines the necessary technical systems and integration methods. In contrast, the bottom-up approach based on Science and Technology Backyard, analyzes the factors that constrain high crop yields and efficiency, and develops systematic methods to achieve high yield and high efficiency. The integrated agricultural research approach can simultaneously address food security challenges, enhances resource use efficiency, and protect the environmental sustainability. This is essential for advancing sustainable agricultural practices in the face of increasing global demands and environmental concerns.