Abstract

Modern agriculture strategy faces a dual challenge: ensuring food security for the constantly growing global population while preserving biodiversity in agricultural landscapes, representing around 50% of the total land area in Germany. Therefore, the need to balance productivity and biodiversity is essential. To address this challenge, this chapter proposes a dichotomous approach that combines extensive land use with intensive agriculture strategies (“Precision Farming”). Areas with low soil quality points and/or ecologically valuable habitats are suitable for extensive land use, while those with high soil points can be used for intensive “Precision Farming.”Old robust livestock breeds are particularly suitable for extensive landscape management. Alternative land use practices, including agroforestry and the “energy pasture landscape,” also contribute to biodiversity, soil health, and carbon sequestration. “Precision Farming” and “Smart Livestock Farming” reduce costs and environmental impacts by minimizing pesticide and fertilizer usage and through data-driven resource management. State support instruments (e.g., subsidies) should be based on a complex point system instead of being linked primarily to the size of the cultivated area.While this dichotomous approach provides a possible solution for the direct drivers of ecosystem change, the social, economic, and political framework conditions (indirect drivers) as well as a significant expansion of protected habitats must also be considered.