Sustainable production systems

New Call for papers – Virtual Issue: Innovation for Agrifood System Transition: Theoretical and Practical Insights

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Agronomy for Sustainable Developement is launching a new Virtual Issue:

Innovation for Agrifood System Transition: Theoretical and Practical Insights

All information at: https://link.springer.com/collections/iejffhfjji

Call for papers:

Designing and assessing innovative sustainable and resilient farming systems to foster agroecological transition of agrifood systems is an active research field. Moreover, enhancing stakeholders’ capacities toward a systemic approach within innovation processes is urgent. Yet, transition is often hampered by various interconnected obstacles characterizing the dominant sociotechnical systems. Recent studies in agronomy have proposed numerous advances in theories, as well as in the methods needed to understand, design, assess, and implement innovations, to support the transition of sociotechnical systems toward sustainable agrifood/farming systems. Moreover, deciphering innovative case studies with agronomic perspectives has been shown to generate useful and actionable knowledge for the design of farming-oriented innovation elsewhere. In this Virtual Issue, we would like to address these topics, gathering agronomy-centered papers with theoretical advances, together with papers based on innovative case studies, both in Northern and Southern countries. Interdisciplinary papers to address these issues are also welcome.

We will include papers on:

Design of farming systems: Theoretical approach, practices, methods and tools

Design and Assessment of innovative systems through System experiments or on-farm experiments

Design of cropping systems and livestock systems at the field, farm and territory scales

Assessment of agricultural and agrifood systems for transition: methodological advances and practical studies

Analysis of farmers’ practices and trajectories at the field and farm level

Designing and assessing resilient, diversified, sustainable agroecosystems

Barriers and levers analysis to transition at the farm level and beyond

Co-designing tools with their users to support stakeholders in farming systems change

Analysing, designing and assessing coupled innovations involving farming systems

Guest Editors:

Marie-Hélène Jeuffroy, PhD
Marie-Hélène Jeuffroy has research interests in the topics of agronomy and design, and cropping systems and is based at INRAE, Université Paris-Saclay, France.
Mariana Scarlato, PhD
Mariana Scarlato has research interests in the topics of agronomy, livestock systems and is based at the Universidad de la Republica, Uruguay.
Diana Ortiz, PhD
Diana Ortiz has research interests in the topics of agronomy, agroforestry and perennial systems and pest management based at INRAE, France.
Agnès Lelièvre, PhD
Agnès Lelièvre has research interests in the topics of agronomy and urban systems and is based at AgroParis-Tech Université Paris-Saclay, France.
Marjolein Derks, PhD
Marjolein Derks has research interests in the topics of design sciences and, farming system design and is based at Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands.

Co-designing an eco-citizen dairy cattle farming system experiment: insights from practice

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figure 1
An illustration of interactions between participants during the co-design process. Participants of the co-design process that is studied in this paper visit the plots used for pasturing and fodder production in the farming system experiment to understand the agronomic reality of the site. Photocredit: M. Ranaldo, INRAE.

The livestock farming sector is under pressure to transition towards sustainable systems that meet the expectations of both farmers and society. Such transitions require design approaches that combine inputs from science and stakeholders. Step-by-step design approaches to conceive and pilot farming system experiments are considered promising to produce knowledge that is useful for the transition to new systems. However, involving stakeholders in the design process of experiments raises a number of questions about the conditions required for fruitful collaboration. Collaborative processes and the contributions of participants to them often remain vague. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze a co-design process of a dairy cattle farming system experiment conducted on a research station in France. Its novelty lies in its focus on participants’ activities and contributions throughout this process rather than on the outcome of the experiment. Seventeen interactions between dairy cattle farmers, local actors in the dairy sector, and scientists of the public sector contributing to the design process were analyzed. The results showed that interaction formats strongly affected participation rates, but also the frequency of co-design activities. Moreover, the participants contributed through collaborative design activities which touched not only the farming system, but also the experimental methods used and the way of collectively working together. In addition, they often carried out more collaborative design activities than were asked of them and redirected conception levels as targeted by the farm experiment leaders on different occasions. Lastly, weak explicit connections between co-design interactions and practices implemented in the experiment were observed. These results allow us to question how to steer collective design processes, identify challenges, and share lessons learnt for future co-design initiatives.

Taverne, M., Bouchon, M., Pomiès, D. et al. Co-designing an eco-citizen dairy cattle farming system experiment: insights from practice. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 45, 75 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-025-01077-4

Tackling the question of work in systemic agronomy. A review

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Fig. 1
Tractor powered disc tillage in Ina, northern Bénin (Photocredit: M. Taupin).

Changes in farming systems worldwide, such as automation, mechanization, and agroecological transitions, raise issues related to work in agriculture. Several scientific communities have explored dimensions of work in agriculture, including labor productivity, employment, occupational health, and skills. However, this topic has been little explored in systemic agronomy, where work is understood as the interaction between workers and activities within cropping or farming systems. Work is commonly measured with economic indicators (time, cost, and productivity) that do not provide sufficient information for agronomists aiming to support farmers through the production of actionable knowledge. A better understanding of the different dimensions of work (such as organization, duration, and working conditions) and their repercussions on the management of technical systems (cropping system, farming system) is needed to support farmers’ decision making. With the aim to propose a framework that agronomists can apply to analyze work in agriculture, this article reviews existing approaches from agronomy, livestock farming system research, and economic and social sciences. The proposed framework connects technical systems (cropping and farming systems) with the humans doing the work (farm managers, farm workers). It emphasizes the link between workers and the tasks they perform, which in turn shape a larger technical system and its features, on which agronomists aim at acting. It seeks to integrate multiple dimensions and scales, and to broaden the focus away from farm managers to include all types of farm workers. This framework can be used to identify further research areas on the topic of work in agriculture, with the examples of automation and motorization, as well as agroecological transitions. It can also provide guidance for agronomic diagnoses, design processes, or evaluations. A clear positioning on the topic of work in systemic agronomy is crucial to support farmers as they navigate through major system transitions.

Bakker, T. Tackling the question of work in systemic agronomy. A review. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 45, 72 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-025-01063-w

Yield gaps in soybean: causes and pathways for increasing yield in smallholder farming from Northeast China

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Soybean fields of experimental site (d), surrounding farm (e), and smallholder (f) in Nenjiang county. Photocredit: J.C. Zhao.

A relevant pathway to meet future food production targets involves closing existing yield gaps, i.e., the difference between yields in researcher-managed trials and smallholder fields, through the adoption of technology. However, despite the availability of more productive and sustainable technologies, adoption remains low, and yield gaps persist. Understanding why smallholders fail to achieve high yields and how their productivity can be improved is crucial. To answer these issues, the soybean cropping system of Northeast China was selected as a case study. This is the first time that a generalizable framework that integrates crop modelling, long-term experimental data, statistics, and field surveys is proposed to map soybean yield gaps under various spatial scales (commercial farms, county, prefecture, and surveyed smallholders) and explain underlying causes. Pathways to bridge yield gaps are discussed. Compared with yield of researcher-managed experimental plots, soybean yields decreased from the farm to the county and again to the prefecture levels. At farm level, the yield gap was 0.34 t/ha, at county level 1.03 t/ha, and at prefecture level 1.17 t/ha. In the same order, a technical efficiency index decreased from 0.91 to 0.64. Poor agronomic management contributed to 73–86% of yield gap, followed by climate (26–13%) and soil constraints (less than 1%). Survey data showed that ridge planting pattern, the use of single compound fertilizers, and variety selection were the most important manageable variables affecting smallholder soybean yield. Using large-ridge cultivation and a rational application of fertilizers were critical for smallholders to achieve high yields. These findings suggest that bridging yield gaps in smallholder farming in the Northeast China remain a significant opportunity to improve food production. This study provides detailed information for closing yield gaps in smallholder fields. The framework is also applicable in other regions dominated by smallholder agriculture to develop sustainable intensification of production.

Zhao, J., Zhao, M., Huang, Z. et al. Yield gaps in soybean: causes and pathways for increasing yield in smallholder farming from Northeast China. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 45, 37 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-025-01030-5

Restored legume acts as a “nurse” to facilitate plant compensatory growth and biomass production in mown grasslands

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Experimental plots in Inner Mongolia, China

Anthropogenic disturbances have led to substantial declines in grassland legumes worldwide. Through seven years of field experiments, our results demonstrate that legume restoration in natural grasslands can sustainably provide higher biomass production through enhancing compensatory growth in natural grasslands that have suffered from prolonged or intense defoliation. This highlights the critical role of leguminous species in a long-term grassland restoration.

Guo, M., Guo, T., Zhou, J. et al. Restored legume acts as a “nurse” to facilitate plant compensatory growth and biomass production in mown grasslands. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 44, 60 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-024-00994-0

Ancient wheat species enable grain plus herbage utilization

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Picture copyright Cadeddu et al.

High consumers’ demand for ancient wheats combined with low fertilization requirements make their farming adapted to marginal Mediterranean environments. Scientists Cadeddu et al. demonstrated that dual-purpose utilization of ancient wheats increases the sustainability of mixed cropping systems because herbage can be partly grazed by animals without penalizing grain yield. Sowing ancient wheats early enables good herbage yield and early flowering, which leads to satisfactory grain yield even under severe water stress.

Timely rice planting in Eastern India

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Picture copyright Urfels et al.

Timely crop planting is critical to food security in the Eastern Gangetic Plains. Scientists Urfels et al. analyzed the factors shaping planting times. They found that farmers perceive the benefits of timely planting, but the ecosystem and climatic factors constrain their ability to plant at desired times with social factors playing a prominent secondary role. To enhance timely planting, they plead to strengthen the agricultural input chains, develop dynamic planting date advisories, and coordinate rice planting and wildlife conservation.

Camelina, an emerging oilseed crop for Europe

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Picture copyright UNIBO

Crop diversification is an effective lever for the agroecological transition by enhancing crop productivity and quality, soil health and fertility, system resilience, and farmers’ income. Diversification-wise, the ancient oilseed crop camelina is particularly interesting because of its broad environmental adaptability, low-input requirements, resistance to many pests and diseases, and multiple uses. Scientists Zanetti et al. reviewed 30 years of European research on camelina and consider this crop a good alternative to oilseed or sunflower in European farming systems.

Multi-criteria decision analysis methods in agri-food research

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Picture copyright Gésan-Guiziou et al.

The assessment of agri-food system sustainability requires a multi-criteria approach based on multidisciplinary efforts. Scientists Gésan-Guiziou et al. analyzed the diversity and potentiality of multi-criteria decision analysis techniques in agri-food research. They showed a strong influence of scientific disciplines on the methods used and suggested potential improvements. To become more effective, these methods must extend to ecosystem services and include participatory science actors in the construction and decision processes.

Energy flow analysis in farm systems

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Energy plays a key role in farm systems and many approaches are available to compute energy flows in these systems. Hercher-Pasteur et al. recently analyzed ten approaches and evaluated their ability to address sustainability issues. They showed that a systemic/circular perspective helps to assess farm systems as an agro-ecosystem. They highlighted the importance of managing the internal circulation of flows, the reuse of biomass, and the soil organic matter in this assessment.