Abstract The use of crop mixtures can help to reduce environmental impacts of agriculture, while maintaining, or even increasing yield. However, farmers seldom use crop mixtures, due to a combination of obstacles characterizing a sociotechnical lock-in. The dominant system remains the cultivation of pure crops, with acknowledged environmental impacts, but some innovative farmers are experimenting crop mixtures. This study aimed to identify and analyze the crop mixtures grown by these farmers, with a view to creating cognitive resources to help other farmers to adopt and adapt this practice to their own context. The on-farm innovative practices tracking method was implemented in Center-West and Southwest France. We surveyed 47 farmers who were already growing crop mixtures. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to identify the crop mixtures grown by these farmers, the objectives targeted with these mixtures, the crop management applied, and the farmers’ satisfaction criteria. In total, 77 combinations involving 29 different species were found. Most of the mixtures included grain or forage legumes. We distinguished seven types of crop mixtures, based on their seasonal or temporal organization, and the target outlets for the mixtures. Each type of crop mixture was associated with a particular set of farmer’s objectives. Crop management practices for mixtures of similar species sometimes differed considerably between farmers. An analysis of the agronomic rationale of farmers revealed consistency between technical choices, farmer’s objectives and farm context. Based on an agronomic cross-analysis of these on-farm innovative practices, we generated actionable knowledge and cognitive resources to support farmers and agricultural extension workers wishing to redesign their cropping systems to make them more sustainable.

中文翻译：

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跟踪农场创新实践以支持作物混合物设计：包括豆类作物在内的一年生混合物案例

摘要 作物混合物的使用有助于减少农业对环境的影响，同时保持甚至增加产量。然而，由于社会技术锁定特征的多种障碍，农民很少使用作物混合物。主导系统仍然是纯作物的种植，具有公认的环境影响，但一些创新的农民正在试验作物混合物。本研究旨在识别和分析这些农民种植的作物混合物，以期创造认知资源，帮助其他农民采用并适应这种做法以适应他们自己的情况。在法国中西部和西南部实施了农场创新实践跟踪方法。我们调查了 47 位已经种植混合作物的农民。进行了半结构化访谈，以确定这些农民种植的作物混合物、这些混合物的目标、应用的作物管理以及农民的满意度标准。总共发现了涉及 29 个不同物种的 77 个组合。大多数混合物包括谷物或饲料豆类。我们根据其季节性或时间组织以及混合物的目标出口区分了七种类型的作物混合物。每种类型的作物混合物都与一组特定的农民目标相关。有时，农民之间对相似物种混合物的作物管理做法有很大差异。对农民农艺原理的分析揭示了技术选择、农民目标和农场环境之间的一致性。