Mixed cropping with several main crops increases biodiversity. However, pure stands are still favored, and mixed cropping is a challenge for farmers. Scientists Bonke and Musshoff analyzed the psychological factors motivating the adoption of mixed cropping in Germany. They highlight the importance of farmers’ attitudes towards mixed cropping, perceived behavioral control, and several social group norms. They suggest that adoption depends on both the willingness to adopt and economic reasoning.
Agricultural mechanization is on the rise across Africa. Researchers Daum et al. reckon it is changing the face of African farming and rural areas. On the upside, mechanization can reduce poverty and enhance food security. On the downside, however, mechanization may enhance deforestation, soil erosion, land-use conflicts, and gender inequalities. Mechanization strategies have to consider environmental, economic, and social pillars of sustainability to ensure a sustainable transformation of African agriculture.
The Miridae are a vast insect family, comprising both well-known plant pests and natural enemies. They interact often with plant fungal infections on many crops. Scientists Ratnadass and Deguine reviewed the bug – fungal pathogen – crop frameworks. They showed that their interactions are mainly shaped by the necrotrophic status of mirid bugs and by the biotrophic or necrotrophic status of fungal pathogens. They propose agroecological options to manage both types of aggressors.
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.
When frugivorous bats forage for fruits in forests or agricultural lands, they serve the important ecological function of seed dispersal. In the Colombian Andean region, researchers Enríquez-Acevedo et al. studied how seed dispersal by fruit bats can generate important ecosystem services for agroecosystems, mixed-crops being more impacted than extensive livestock agroecosystems, and eventually for society.
Walnut trees strongly depend on arbuscular mycorrhizae for their mineral nutrition. In return, these fungi obtain from the trees, sugars and lipids to sustain their growth and reproduction. Scientists Mortier et al. surveyed 40 years of scientific literature on the relationships between arbuscular mycorrhizae and walnut tree roots. The root colonization process leads to enhanced seedling survival and quality. The knowledge of positive and negative feedbacks between walnut planting and the fungi allows developing sustainable walnut agroforestry systems.
Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems are nature-inspired food production systems, seeking sustainable intensification. They count on diversity and nutrient cycling to deliver ecosystem services, although their current fertilization practices follow a conventional per crop basis. Scientists Farias et al. evaluated several systems growing soybean in rotation with pastures for sheep. They showed that adopting a system fertilization strategy and integrating crops with livestock saved on fertilization, thereby decreasing costs and pollution while retrieving autonomy at the farm level.
Persistent malnutrition and rural poverty, environmental degradation, and loss of biodiversity are global challenges for food systems, aggravated by the growing consequences of climate change. Agroecological principles, when applied in context, generate transition pathways that transform agricultural and food systems to address these issues. Scientists Wezel et al. identified among these principles, four key entry points for systems transformation: diversity, circular and solidarity economy, co-creation and sharing of knowledge, and responsible governance.
Soil erosion rates are high in rainfed olive mountain plantations applying conventional practices, compromising, therefore, their long-term sustainability. Implementing sustainable soil management strategies is essential for hillslopes and low-fertility soils where plantations cover vast tracts of land. Researchers Durán et al. revealed potential environmental benefits of the organic system in controlling water erosion and improving soil health restoration compared to the conventional system.
Coffee plantation productivity is threatened by both climate change and decreasing revenues of growers. Scientists Piato et al. analyzed how growing robusta coffee under shade trees impacts coffee growth, yield, and quality. They found that the effects depend on tree age and the robusta clone tested. Whereas moderate shade can increase growth and yield, excessive shade may alter cup quality.