AbstractWith the concept of resilience being increasingly applied in farming systems research, there is general agreement that the resilience theory should be supported by sound assessment methodologies. Yet, in the extant literature, definitions and measures of resilience as a system outcome, a system capability or a process are often conflated, causing conceptual and methodological ambiguities. To

Eating “less but better” meat can be a strategy to guide meat consumption in Western or high-income countries towards sustainability, but what “better” means depends on the perspective. Multiple studies and reports suggest that agroecological farming systems could contribute to a broad range of sustainability benefits, but few studies have examined the implications for people and nature following trade-offs

Agricultural intensification has led to dramatic declines in bird populations. In particular, the acknowledged role of synthetic pesticides on direct bird intoxication or food resource depletion urges us to seek alternative crop protection methods. Pest exclusion netting systems have recently gained popularity among fruit growers as an efficient means of reducing pest attacks, allowing their transition

Ecosystems worldwide are being disrupted under increased pressure from human activities. Nevertheless, most conservation studies and restoration efforts have so far focused on ecosystems of high heritage value related to their species diversity and/or the rarity of their habitats and/or species. However, “ordinary nature” (all the everyday, non-spectacular and non-protected landscapes, species and

Farmers’ experimentation has long been identified, but until now, its dynamics has hardly been studied at all. The subject is however gaining new interest, as by enabling farmers to learn new cropping practices on their farms, their experimentation could be a driver of transition towards agroecology. The aim of this study is to understand the multiannual experimental itineraries that farmers follow

The perennial forage grass Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkworth & Dewey, commonly known as intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) or by the commercial name Kernza™, is being developed as a perennial grain crop, i.e. being bred for its improved agronomic performance and food qualities. Intercropping legumes and grasses is a strategy for improving resource use and sustainability in cropping systems. Here,

Cropping diversification with cover crop mixtures combined with low N fertilization represents an ecological alternative that may promote sustainability. Our objective was to evaluate changes on soil organic fractions and structure, cover crop biomass, and main crop yield 5 years after the introduction of two cover crop mixtures, oats+forage radish (CC1) and oats+forage radish+vetch (CC2), in a soybean-soybean

The utilization of winter-killed cover crops is increasing due to their benefits in intensive cropping systems based on summer cash crops. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about their management in temperate climates, where maize is planted early under conservation tillage techniques. For these conditions, here we document for the first time various agronomic effects of winter-killed cover

Population growth and improving living standards are leading to a growing demand for beef. The understorey in the 19 million hectares of oil palm plantation worldwide represent a source of cattle feed, while also sparing additional land conversion for grazing. Research on cattle grazing under oil palm is novel and knowledge is lacking on long-term profitability and sustainability of the system, a major

Waterlogging and salinity can occur together in salinised landscapes and restrict crop production. Drainage can alleviate waterlogging and salinity, but previous research suggested the need for deep drains, which may not be acceptable to smallholder farmers. Consequently, for the first time to our knowledge, we tested the usefulness of shallow drains in sunflower cultivation for smallholder farmers

Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) causes severe rice (Oryza sativa L.) yield loss. It has been endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar since 1966. Transmission (plant community level) and long-dispersal (regional and continental scale) models have been established but viral spread in farming communities continues, while the conditions causing local disease outbreaks remain unclear. We hypothesized

Crop root-associated microbiomes have been heralded for their potential to improve plant health and productivity. Optimizing beneficial interactions with rhizosphere microorganisms has been proposed to reduce reliance on external inputs, increase pathogen resistance, and alleviate abiotic stresses. Producers of Theobroma cacao, the economically important tropical perennial whose pods are used to produce

Oil palm plantations worldwide generate vast amounts of empty fruit bunches (EFB), often disposed of as waste and left to undergo natural decomposition or incinerated, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. However, EFB could be used as soil conditioner to improve soil properties and increase crop yields. We conducted a meta-analysis to synthesize evidence of the effect of soil amendment by different

Maintaining yield when reducing inputs is one prime objective of sustainable agriculture. In this context, cereal-legume intercropping is a practice that can achieve increased yield under low-input conditions through the complementary use of abiotic resources and facilitation mechanisms. Many management options exist to design cereal-legume intercropping systems, among which the choice of the species

The Companion Modeling approach aims to stimulate learning and sharing of perceptions among several actors through the co-construction and use of a model, while the Integrated Assessment of Agricultural Systems aims to assess a large set of performances of current and alternative systems. Our research question was: to what extent does the joint use of these two methods foster sustainability thinking

There is an urgent need for agriculture in general, and for viticulture in particular, to reduce their impacts on the environment. Doing so requires an approach that supports transitioning to more environmentally friendly practices. Involving farmers and agricultural advisors is key to lifting technical, economic, and social barriers to this transition. Participatory methods can help to consider specific

Des pite the growing concerns over the damages and unsustainability of conventional agriculture, arable farmers struggle to convert to organic cropping practices. In wheat farming, the lack of cultivars adapted to organic cropping has prompted a search for alternatives to better cope with unpredictability and stress. In that respect, heterogeneous material (HM) has attracted a lot of attention for

Reducing pesticide use has become a goal shared by several European countries and a major issue in public policies due to the negative impacts of pesticides on the environment and on human health. However, since most of the agri-food sector relies on pesticides in these countries, substantially reducing pesticide use is a complex issue. To overcome this situation, we argue that agricultural research

Mediterranean agriculture is markedly threatened by climate change and extreme events (drought and flooding). For the first time, the EPIC model was used in a long-term organic vegetable field experiment to evaluate the performance of agro-ecological practices, as adaptation and mitigation measures to cope with climate change in Southern Italy. These practices were a soil hydraulic arrangement (consisting

Agri-environment schemes are a key mechanism by which agricultural sustainability is encouraged by subsidising farmers to adopt environmentally friendly management (e.g. reduction of inputs) to maintain and enhance the delivery of biodiversity-associated ecosystem services. Studies testing the efficacy of agri-environment schemes have yielded varying results, and few have focused on upland (marginal

There is broad agreement that agriculture has to become more sustainable in order to provide enough affordable, healthy food at minimal environmental and social costs. But what is “more sustainable”? More often than not, different stakeholders have opposing opinions on what a more sustainable future should look like. This normative dimension is rarely explicitly addressed in sustainability assessments

Potassium (K) is essential for plant growth and vital for soil health. However, despite high crop demand, K fertilization continues to be ignored or severely inadequate in Indian agriculture. Over time, this could lead to severe depletion of soil K reserve, irreversibly alter K-bearing minerals, and adversely affect soil fertility and crop productivity. Hence, we should comprehensively assess the alarming