Integrated agricultural systems: The 21st century nature-based solution for resolving the global FEEES challenges Chukwudi Nwaogu a,b,⁎ and Mauricio R. Cherubin a,⁎ a Department of Soil Science, “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture, University of Sa ˜o Paulo, Piracicaba, Sa ˜o Paulo, Brazil b Department of Environmental Management, School of Environmental Sciences, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria ⁎ Corresponding authors: e-mail address: cnwaogu@gmail.com; cherubin@usp.br Contents 1. Introduction 2 2. Classes or types of IAS and their spatial distributions 6 3. The nexus between IAS and soil 14 3.1 Soil carbon 14 3.2 Soil nutrient and fauna enrichment 18 3.3 Soil chemical and hydro-physical properties 21 3.4 Soil erosion and water pollution 23 3.5 Soil water regulations and balance 25 4. Aboveground components (flora and fauna) 28 4.1 Crop yields 28 4.2 Animal health and production 33 4.3 Biological processes and plant biomass carbon 33 4.4 Weeds, pests and diseases, and natural enemies 34 5. Atmosphere 40 5.1 Greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions 40 6. Socioeconomics and sustainability 41 6.1 Sustainable energy and land use efficiency 41 6.2 Ecosystem services (ES) and biodiversity (BD) 44 6.3 Economic improvement and diversification 47 6.4 Human livelihood and welfare 50 7. Conclusion: Implications, prospects, and way forward 51 Acknowledgments 52 References 52 Advances in Agronomy Copyright # 2024 Elsevier Inc. ISSN 0065-2113 All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.agron.2024.02.003 1 ARTICLE IN PRESS