CONTEXT

Although cereal–legume intercropping is a recognized approach to improve crop production sustainability, its uptake on European commercial farms remains slow, due to numerous questions raised by the introduction of intercrops in a cropping system. Co-design workshops allow multiple scenarios to be explored without risks. They favor identification of consistent answers to complex problems, considering local conditions and constraints.

OBJECTIVE

We present Interplay, the serious game we created to support players' exploration of intercrops by designing a wide-range of cereal–legume intercropping scenarios in given cropping system contexts and assessing eight ecosystem services provided by intercrops, i.e., intercropped cereal and legume yields, cereal protein content, nitrogen supply to the following crop, impact on soil structure and weed, insect and disease control.

METHODS

Interplay aims at being used with groups of farmers and their advisor or students and their agronomy teacher. The game includes a game board and cards to design intercropping scenarios defined by: (i) the cropping system and field context; (ii) the farmers' objectives when introducing an intercrop; (iii) the species to associate and (iv) the crop management. A computer model assesses the ecosystem services provided by the intercropping scenario designed on the game board. The players compare these results to their objectives and to sole crop performances and, if necessary, adjust the scenarios. The players are guided through the design process by a facilitator.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, we used the game with 70 French agriculture students divided into six groups to design intercropping scenarios improving nitrogen supply to the following crop in a rotation. Students designed scenarios that improved nitrogen supply compared to the initial sole crop, yet cereal yield decreased more than the farmer desired. Guided by the facilitator, students reconsidered the cropping system to improve nitrogen supply at the crop rotation level. Interplay is an interactive tool used to stimulate players' creativity by exploring intercropping scenarios and providing salient, credible and legitimate assessment of the ecosystem services provided. It also promotes knowledge sharing on intercropping and allows redesigning the cropping system completely. Students and teachers who used it declared that it helped enhance their knowledge on intercrops.

SIGNIFICANCE

Interplay is the first serious game suited to develop the practice of intercropping. It is currently available for cereal–grain legume intercrops sown simultaneously in a random pattern under French soil-climate conditions, but could be adapted to other countries and intercrops.

中文翻译：

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相互作用：参与式设计适合当地的谷类-豆类间作的游戏

语境

尽管谷类与豆类间作是一种公认​​的提高作物生产可持续性的方法，但由于在种植系统中引入间作引发了许多问题，欧洲商业农场对其的采用仍然缓慢。协同设计研讨会允许在没有风险的情况下探索多个场景。他们倾向于在考虑当地条件和限制的情况下确定对复杂问题的一致答案。

客观的

我们展示了 Interplay，这是我们为支持玩家探索间作而创建的严肃游戏，通过在给定的种植系统背景下设计广泛的谷类-豆类间作情景并评估间作提供的八种生态系统服务，即间作谷类和豆类产量，谷物蛋白质含量、对后茬作物的氮供应、对土壤结构和杂草、病虫害防治的影响。

方法

Interplay 旨在与农民群体及其顾问或学生及其农学老师一起使用。该游戏包括一个游戏板和卡片，用于设计由以下条件定义的间作场景： (i) 种植系统和田间环境；(ii) 农民在引入间作时的目标；(iii) 关联的物种和 (iv) 作物管理。计算机模型评估游戏板上设计的间作情景所提供的生态系统服务。玩家将这些结果与他们的目标和单一作物表现进行比较，并在必要时调整场景。参与者将在主持人的指导下完成设计过程。

结果和结论

在 Covid-19 大流行的背景下，我们使用游戏，将 70 名法国农业学生分成六组，设计间作情景，以轮作方式改善下一个作物的氮供应。与最初的单一作物相比，学生设计了改善氮供应的情景，但谷物产量的下降幅度超过了农民的预期。在辅导员的指导下，学生们重新考虑了种植系统，以改善轮作水平的氮供应。Interplay 是一种互动工具，用于通过探索间作情景并对所提供的生态系统服务进行突出、可信和合法的评估来激发玩家的创造力。它还促进了间作知识共享，并允许完全重新设计种植系统。

意义

Interplay 是第一个适合发展间作实践的严肃游戏。它目前可用于在法国土壤气候条件下以随机模式同时播种的谷类豆类间作，但可以适应其他国家和间作。