Measuring what matters in agriculture and food systems: A synthesis of the results and recommendations of TEEB for Agriculture and Food’s Scientific and Economic Foundations Report

This synthesis report offers a systems-based evaluation of global agriculture and food systems, addressing their complex interconnections with ecosystems, human health, economies, and social equity. Developed under the TEEB for Agriculture and Food initiative, it critiques the dominant reductionist focus on productivity and market metrics, advocating instead for a holistic approach that includes visible and invisible flows across full value chains. The report introduces an innovative evaluation framework that integrates four capital stocks—natural, human, social, and produced—and emphasizes the need to account for externalities and long-term systemic impacts. Through contributions from over 150 experts across disciplines, it examines how food systems contribute to climate change, biodiversity loss, malnutrition, and rural poverty, while also offering pathways to transformation.