The population of Africa will double in the next 33 years to reach 2.5 billion by 2050. Although roughly 60% of the continent’s population is engaged in agriculture, the produce from this sector cannot feed its citizens. Hence, in 2013 alone, Africa...
Corn grown as second-crop (safrinha) immediately after soybeans contributes to Brazil’s recent sustainable intensification of efforts to land spare and reduce deforestation. Brazil’s Mato Grosso state is very important for corn production...
In Global Climate Risk Index 2019, Bangladesh has been ranked seventh among the countries most affected by extreme weather events. The salinity intrusion has increased by 27% from 1973 to 2009 in coastal areas of Bangladesh due to impacts of climate...
Rice-fallow areas have significant potential to sustainably increase agricultural intensification to address growing global food demands while simultaneously increasing farmers’ income by harnessing the residual soil moisture in rainfed ecologi...
About 1.0 million ha coastal lands in Bangladesh are mono-cropped suffer from varying degree of soil salinity, waterlogging and climate vulnerability. Low yielding, traditional T. Aman rice is grown only in wet season. Growing non-rice crop after lat...
The diversification and intensification of crop rotations (DICR) in no-till systems is a novel approach that aims to increase crop production, together with decreasing environmental impact. Our objective was to analyze the effect of different levels...
A field experiment was conducted to explore the possibilities of sustainable crop intensification in the fallow–Eruca sativa Mill. system in arid ecology by replacing fallow with short-duration sorghum–legume intercropping. The experiment...
Ecological intensification (EI) of agriculture through the improvement of ecosystem service delivery has recently emerged as the alternative to the conventional intensification of agriculture that is widely considered unsustainable and has negative i...
Spelt wheat is one of the oldest wheat with very high nutritional value. It does not have particular climatic requirements and tolerates adverse environmental conditions well. The versatile advantages of spelt wheat make it attractive to farmers, pla...
The agricultural intensification of farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa is a prerequisite to alleviate rural poverty and to improve livelihood. In this modelling exercise, we identified sustainable intensification scenarios for maize-based cropping...
Sustainable and resilient cropping intensity is now a global focus to address the food demand and nutrition security of the growing population. For sustainable intensification, maintaining soil fertility is a key concern. The nutrient management for...
Mixed crop–livestock long-term experiments (LTE) are critical to increase the understanding of sustainability in complex agroecosystems. One example is the ‘Palo a Pique’ LTE which has been running for 25 years in Uruguay (from 1995...
Although agricultural intensification generally has homogenizing effects on landscapes that reduce crop diversity, the specific effects of different input strategies on crop diversity are unclear. This study examines the effects of irrigation inputs...
While displaying diversified economic values, agro-ecosystems remain a relevant component of rural landscapes in Southern Europe. Coupled with the expansion of ecologically fragile areas because of climate warming, intensification and simplification...
Forage crops have the potential to serve multiple functions, providing an ecological framework to sustainably intensify food production, i.e., ecological intensification. We review three categories of forages (annual forages, perennial forages, and d...
In the course of the broad expansion of organic farming, a considerable increase in the number of different cultivation types has also occurred. Compared to the formerly ideal forms with arable farming and animal husbandry around 0.5–1.0 LU ha&...
Evapotranspirative irrigation is a simple idea in a watering field based on the actual evapotranspiration rate, by operating an automatic floating valve in the inlet without electric power to manage water levels. The current study introduces a model...
Sustainable intensification calls for agroecological and adaptive management of the agrifood system. Here, we focus on intercropping and how this agroecological practice can be used to increase the sustainability of crop production. Strip, mixed, and...
This study aimed to evaluate the sustainability of integrated dairy–crop production systems by employing emergy and economic theory perspectives, and to identify strategies to improve the intensification of dairy production systems. A case stud...
As the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) has evolved in many ways and in several directions over the past two decades, this review follows the software-naming convention of labeling SRI’s different and subsequent versions as SRI 2.0, 3.0, 4....
The Eastern Gangetic Plains (EGPs) has the potential to become a major contributor to South Asian regional food security, despite the world’s highest concentration of rural poverty and a strong dependence on agriculture. A regional project entitled ‘...
The continuous rice–wheat cropping system in South Asia has caused irreversible environmental damage, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of the region’s agricultural systems. To address this issue, farm experiments were conducted for...
The COVID-19 pandemic is adversely impacting food and nutrition security and requires urgent attention from policymakers. Sustainable intensification of agriculture is one strategy that attempts to increase food production without adversely impacting...
Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices are becoming increasingly important due to their better adaptability to harsh climatic conditions (in general) and the unpredictability of monsoons in India (in particular). Conventional rice cultivation (e.g...
Low-input cropping systems were introduced in Western Europe to reduce the environmental impacts of intensive farming, but some of their benefits are offset by lower yields. In this paper, we review studies that used Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to in...
Burkina Faso faces chronic food insecurity because of adverse agroclimatic conditions and significant soil degradation. Mulching, the practice of applying organic or synthetic materials to the soil surface, offers a promising avenue for enhancing agr...
Maize yields can be improved through many individual technologies and management practices, but the full realization of potential benefits is generally understood to require integrated use of complementary practices. We employed two years of survey d...
Intercropping of legumes can be a strategy to improve soil fertility and enhance overall productivity while reducing dependency on external inputs in intensified cropping systems. Integration of legumes in maize-based cropping systems is promoted as...
Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important grain legume for food and cash of the smallholder farmers worldwide. However, the total potential benefits to be derived from the common bean as a source of food and income, its complementarities wi...
The decline of insects is a global concern, yet identifying the factors behind it remains challenging due to the complexity of potential drivers and underlying processes, and the lack of quantitative historical data on insect populations. This study...
Identifying productive, profitable, and less risky cropping systems is pivotal for ensuring sustainable farm–based livelihoods in the context of climatic uncertainties and market volatility, particularly in many developing nations. Conventional...
Initial evaluations of the System of Rice Intensification in India and elsewhere focused mainly on its impacts on yield and income, and usually covered just one or two seasons. Researchers at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research have conducted...
Soil salinity is the major constraint for cropping system intensification in the coastal region of the Ganges Delta. Salts build up on the soil surface, as well as in the crop root zone, due to the capillary rise in underground brackish water, hamper...
Quinoa cultivation is well-adapted to sustainable cropping systems, even if seed yield could be severely limited due to several constraints, such as weeds. Field trials were performed in Gorgan (Iran) to quantify the effects of agro-ecological servic...
The status and sustainability of Poaceae crops, wheat and barley, were examined in an Atlantic zone climate. Intensification had caused yield to rise 3-fold over the last 50 years but had also degraded soil and biodiversity. Soil carbon and nitrogen...
Ecological intensification, based on agricultural practices that promote ecosystem services, has been recently proposed to match crop yield and environmental concerns. Two-year experiments were conducted in a Mediterranean environment. The treatments...
Introducing cover crops is a form of ecological intensification that can potentially reduce local, regional and global environmental impacts of soybean cropping systems. An assessment of multiple environmental impacts (global warming potential, eutro...
The primary objective of any cropping system continues to be increasing the productivity and profitability of crops [...]
The coastal saline zone of West Bengal in India is the home to millions of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. Due to a gradual increase in salt accumulation on soils of the coastal saline zone of West Bengal in India from winter to...
China has attained rice sufficiency with the increased use of nitrogen (N) fertilizer, but this has led to serious N pollution. China has the world’s highest use of N with the lowest N use efficiency (NUE). Including livestock production, China...
The Western Siberian grain belt is of global significance in terms of agricultural production as well as carbon sequestration and biodiversity preservation. Regional downscaling of general circulation models predict increasing drought risks and water...
The conventional means of achieving enhanced agricultural productivity are not ecologically balanced and sustainable. The excessive use of synthetic agrochemicals, declining soil nutrients, and water-use issues, amongst others, are threats to the eco...
Cropping systems in the Level Barind Tract (LBT) of Bangladesh are highly diverse, as Transplanted (T.) Aman and Boro (T. Boro) rice are a common practice in the area. Although. T. Aman is generally cultivated in the rainy (monsoon) season, but the T...
Active crop sensor-based precision nitrogen (N) management can significantly improve N use efficiency but generally does not increase crop yield. The objective of this research was to develop and evaluate an active canopy sensor-based precision rice...
Protecting a breed of sheep is simple when there is demand for its breed traits, but new market options are often hard to find. In general, grazing sheep are able to take over some viticultural work. Here, we address a new and promising integrated cr...
Agricultural systems have increased in extension and intensity worldwide, altering vertebrate functional diversity, ecosystem functioning, and ecosystemic services. However, the effects of open monoculture crops on bird functional diversity remain li...
In Europe, there is an increasing interest in pulses both for their beneficial effects in cropping systems and for human health. However, despite these advantages, the acreage dedicated to pulses has been declining and their diversity has reduced, pa...
Integrating leys, cover crops, and animal manures constitute promising avenues to reach annual soil organic carbon changes (ΔSOC) >0.4% in forage and grain-based crop rotations, rates required to offset the increasing C emissions from fossil...
Sida hermaphrodita (L.) Rusby is a promising perennial biomass crop to provide sustainable bioenergy via combustion. This study investigated cultivation practices for Sida hermaphrodita (L.) Rusby on light soils in temperate climates. Therefore, two...
The natural sciences are receiving increasing attention in the Global South. This timely development may help mitigate global change and quicken an envisioned food system transformation. Yet in order to resolve complex issues such as agrochemical pol...
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