Search

Due to rising population, the globe confronts serious issues with food security, unemployment, and ecological damage. In comparison to 9.9% in 2020 and 8.4% in 2019, about 10% of the world's population experienced hunger in 2021 (FAO, 2022). Diseases like anemia, thyroid, and night blindness can all be driven forth by malnutrition. Many low-income households find it expensive to eat animal products. A variety of neglected vegetables can serve as a substitute for vitamins, minerals, and secondary plant metabolites that support health. Under-utilized legumes, abundant in plant-based protein, offer an affordable alternative to address protein deficiency. The significant folic acid content of several underutilized green vegetables contributes to minimizing the risk of coronary ailments. Crop diversification is a strategy that considerably increases food security, health and nutrition, climate resilience, and environmental sustainability. In small-scale farming, the integration of a variety of crops not only enables more effective utilization of agro-ecological processes, but also contributes to the diversity of the human diet and raises family income. Vegetable crop diversification has potential to enhance availability and financial affordability of healthy and fresh food. Additionally, by cultivating a diverse range of crops locally, there will be rise in economic opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agroecosystem simplification for greater food production has led to the loss of ecosystem services such as pest control by predators. Plant diversification has shown excellent potential to improve the diversity of crop predators such as spiders.However, in agroecosystems with frequent disturbances such as annual crops, it is unknown whether the effect of plant diversification on spiders depends on the surrounding landscape and the stages of the agricultural cycle (i.e., periods with differences in vegetation, weather and agricultural practices).Here, we evaluated the effect and interaction of local management (plant diversification), landscape (forest areas) and agricultural cycle on the richness and abundance from the main spider guilds of a maize polyculture in Mexico.We found that greater crop diversification (i.e., addition of legumes and leafy plants) caused a greater abundance of ground‐hunting spiders. We also show that a larger area of forest around the crop favours a greater richness and abundance of ground‐ and vegetation‐hunting spiders.We found that each stage of the agricultural cycle had a different spider richness and abundance, ground hunters were more common at the beginning of the agricultural cycle, while vegetation hunters and web‐builders were more common during the peak developmental stages of the crops.Our findings support the idea that to foster functionally diverse spider communities that potentially enhance natural pest control, we must jointly manage plant elements within the crop, in the surrounding landscape, considering the high dynamics of spider communities throughout the agricultural cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Crop diversification is a promising practice to improve the sustainability of agricultural production systems, contributing to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem functions, and food security without compromising productivity. Although diverse cropping systems may be more labour-intensive and require good knowledge of the specific cropping system in the local context, they have high potential in managing many of the problems faced in current cotton production in India. However, the adoption of crop diversification is still moderate, with an overall crop diversification index (CDI) of 0.65 for all of India and state-wise CDI between 0.43 and 0.83. Methods: Therefore, a four-phased study was conducted to identify the main barriers to crop diversification in cotton-based farming systems in India and highlight levers that can foster their wide adoption to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. The study was carried out between January to October 2020 and consisted of i) a literature review of regional and national policy and planning, ii) situational analysis with a problem tree approach, iii) individual stakeholder interviews with stakeholders from the broader Indian cotton sector, and iv) a participatory feedback workshop with said stakeholders. A total of 51 stakeholders from 24 different organizations were interviewed, 37 of them on technical aspects of crop diversification and 21 stakeholders on market and policy aspects. The same stakeholders were invited to the participatory feedback workshop, where 26 participated in the session on different benefits of crop diversification practices, and the session on market and policy challenges counted 24 participants. The study focused on the main organic cotton producing states in India: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. Results and discussion: In our study, it became evident that many policies and governmental schemes exist to promote national food security, sustainable agriculture, and agricultural marketing infrastructure, but crop diversification is still not gaining momentum on the ground. Various levers were identified in the areas of market and procurement, capacity building and knowledge transfer, supply industry and infrastructure, and farmers and women empowerment, where the current policy landscape is failing to foster crop diversification effectively on the farm level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment of shift in cropping pattern is crucial for a good insight into the agricultural development of a region. The present study focused on the changes in the cropping pattern and the extent of crop diversification in Kerala, India. The results of the study revealed that the share of food crops to the gross cropped area substantially declined from 56.85% in TE 1987-88 to 40.73% in TE 2019-20, whereas the share of non-food crops increased remarkably from 43.14% in TE 1987-88 to 59.29% in TE 2019-20. The extent of crop diversification was higher in Idukki district, while crop specialization was prominent in Kozhikode district. Labour unavailability, high labour wage rates and climate variability were identified as the major constraints faced by the respondents in the study areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil moisture reserves are a key factor in maintaining soil fertility and all other related ecosystem services (including carbon sequestration, soil biodiversity, and soil erosion control). In semiarid blown-sand areas under aridification, water preservation is a particularly crucial task for agriculture. The international Diverfarming project (2017–2022), within the EU Horizon 2020 Program, focused on the impacts of crop diversification and low-input practices in all pedoclimatic regions of Europe. In this three-year experiment conducted in the Pannonian region, the impact of intercropping asparagus with different herbs on some provisioning and regulating ecosystem services was evaluated in the Kiskunság sand regions. Relying on findings based on a range of measured physical and chemical soil parameters and on crop yields and qualitative properties, advice was formulated for farmers. The message drawn from the experiment is somewhat ambiguous. The local farmers agree that crop diversification improves soil quality, but deny that it would directly influence farm competitiveness, which primarily depends on cultivation costs (such as fertilization, plant protection, and labour). Further analyses are needed to prove the long-term benefits of diversification through enriching soil microbial life and through the possible reduction of fertilizer use, while water demand is kept at a low level and the same crop-quality is ensured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Market access has a deep impact on farmers' decisions, influencing their choice of crops and technology adoption. Crop diversification depends on the availability of markets to trade the agricultural portfolio. This study explored how market access impacted the level of diversification in 5565 Brazilian municipalities from 2013 to 2021. We developed a regression model considering how variables related to market access and commercialization (storage, roads, distribution centers, commercialization credit, among others) affected a local (municipality level) diversification index. After environmental variables were controlled, the results indicated that most of the market access variables have a significant impact on diversification. We also used map analysis to analyze the regional patterns of specialization in Brazilian agriculture, concluding that logistics and commercialization infrastructure have strong influence on the level of diversification in Brazil, a major agricultural powerhouse in the world. The results indicate that market access variables affect diversification and should be considered by policy makers aiming to increase sustainability in agriculture and livestock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farm households in Africa adopt resource allocation tools such as crop diversification to minimize risk exposure and safeguard their food and nutrition security. This study uses primary data and an ordered probit model to examine how crop diversification impacts the food security outcomes of rural farmers in northern Ghana. The findings revealed that along with other factors like access to extension services and use of soil fertility management practices, crop diversification increased food access and reduced the food insecurity experience of households. As a result, policies targeted at improving the food and nutrition security of peasant households should promote adoption of diversified crop production and use of sustainable soil management practices like composting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, China has made significant strides in food and nutrition security, yet challenges persist in the western rural regions, especially in Guangxi. Farming households in this area face heightened vulnerability due to limited arable land and environmental hazards, leading to increased efforts to boost income through horticultural crop farming. This study explores the impact of citrus farming and crop diversification on household dietary diversity within the context of the existing literature, examining trade-offs between subsistence and income-generating farming. Using OLS regression techniques and a mediating effect model, the analysis focuses on distinct contexts within citrus farming, utilizing survey data from households engaged in the cultivation of both citrus and non-citrus. Results reveal that while citrus cultivation moderately contributes to dietary diversity, its primary influence lies in encouraging farmers to diversify food purchases, with the mediating effect from market purchases exceeding 50%. Diversifying crop production, including staple crops and vegetables alongside citrus, proves more effective in enhancing dietary diversity among citrus farming households. Crop diversification positively influences dietary diversity, partially addressing household self-sufficiency. While extensive crop diversification may not be the ultimate solution to food security challenges, promoting specific diversification systems shows promise in the context of sustainable agriculture goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: One of the major challenges of modern agriculture is to transform agricultural systems to support food security under global change. The reduction of the agricultural carbon footprint requires the development of agroecological practices and eco-friendly processes for biomass and by-products transformation. The push towards decarbonization of several industrial sector brings about new demand for bio-based products and can constitute an opportunity for crop diversification and by-products valorisation for crop fertilization and protection. This evolution leads to the study of novel agricultural systems centered around the concept of circular bioeconomy and the development of transdisciplinary approaches combining agroecology and bioeconomy to create more resilient. But what are these approaches and which steps must be taken to transform agricultural systems toward the ultimate goal of sustainability? Methods: This opinion paper synthesizes such recent advances and contemporary understanding of agroecology and bioeconomy synergies by focusing on 1) the agroecological solutions for the bioeconomy: the ecological role of crop diversification, 2) the main eco-technologies of waste recycling and biomass transformation for agroecological development, 3) a holistic approach of combinations of agroecology and bioeconomy for sustainable agricultural systems. Results: This combination is based on the association of functional low- and high-tech innovations that require life cycle analysis and a multi-assessment in cropping and farming systems to decrease their energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Conclusion: The combination of agroecology and circular bioeconomy constitutes an important lever to mobilize in order to improve ecosystem services at the soil–plant-atmosphere interface and farming sustainability at the territorial scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to examine perceived effects of crop diversification on food security status of maize-based farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to obtain data from 183 maize-based farmers using an interview schedule. The data were analyzed using Herfindahl indexing, Food Consumption Score of the World Food Programme for determining household food security and Chi-square test. The results showed that the extent of crop diversification was moderate for slightly above half of the respondents (51.4%). The majority of the respondents (91.3%) had acceptable food consumption (>35), which corresponds to their food security situation. Crop diversification among the farmers indicated positive and significant influence of crop diversification on the food security status of the farmers at 1% level of significance using chi-square. More than half of the respondents perceived that crop diversification had strong effects on increased access to food preferences for an active and healthy life (56.3%), access to utilizable and digestible food (57.4%) and access to sufficient food (53.6%). The study concluded that crop diversification practices contributed to food security by increasing access to preferred sufficient, utilizable and digestible food for active and healthy life of maize-based farmers in Kwara State. Thus, extension agents should increase awareness of the importance of crop diversification for the farmers' output in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the critical challenges in agriculture is enhancing yield without compromising its foundation, a healthy environment and, particularly, soils. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify management practices that simultaneously support soil health and production and help achieve environmentally sound production systems.To investigate how management influences production and soil health under realistic agronomic conditions, we conducted an on‐farm study involving 60 wheat fields managed conventionally, under no‐till or organically. We assessed 68 variables defining management, production and soil health properties. We examined how management systems and individual practices describing crop diversification, fertiliser inputs, agrochemical use and soil disturbance influenced production—quantity and quality—and soil health focusing on aspects ranging from soil organic matter over soil structure to microbial abundance and diversity.Our on‐farm comparison showed marked differences between soil health and production in the current system: organic management resulted in the best overall soil health (+47%) but the most significant yield gap (−34%) compared to conventional management. No‐till systems were generally intermediate, exhibiting a smaller yield gap (−17%) and only a marginally improved level of soil health (+5%) compared to conventional management. Yet, the overlap between management systems in production and soil health properties was considerably large.Our results further highlight the importance of soil health for productivity by revealing positive associations between crop yield and soil health properties, particularly under conventional management, whereas factors such as weed pressure were more dominant in organic systems.None of the three systems showed advantages in supporting production‐soil health‐based multifunctionality. In contrast, a cross‐system analysis suggests that multifunctional agroecosystems could be achieved through a combination of crop diversification and organic amendments with effective crop protection.Synthesis and applications: Our on‐farm study implies that current trade‐offs in managing production and soil health could be overcome through more balanced systems incorporating conventional and alternative approaches. Such multifunctionality supporting systems could unlock synergies between vital ecosystem services and help achieve productive yet environmentally sound agriculture supported by healthy soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study estimates crop diversification in the Karbi Anglong district, Assam, North East India, as well as the cost and returns from shifting cultivation in the hilly areas, along with policy measures for maintaining their sustainability in the long run. The study comprised both primary and secondary data. The primary data were collected from four blocks of the Karbi Anglong district of Assam. Two villages from each block were selected based on the intensive shifting practices, and 10 respondents from each village were selected randomly, making a total sample of 80 respondents. The average crop diversification in the region was greater than 0.8, indicating that the region is highly rich in diversity. The variable cost mainly consisted of hired human labour and seeds, of which labour cost was highest for cultivation because shifting cultivation is labour-intensive. Though the returns over total cost and variable cost for different crop mixes showed positive outcomes, it was necessary to recommend a policy to reduce human labour costs in hilly regions. So, a policy has been recommended to make small farm machinery (smaller than power tillers) readily available to farmers for cultivation in hilly regions. This will help reduce the human labour cost, thereby increasing the net returns of the farming community and distribution of higher-yielding seeding materials among them. This would enhance their income, so farmers in the study region must be encouraged to increase the extent of crop diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work has been made an attempt to delineate the agricultural regions in the Chamarajangara district with using of 2016-17 period data. It gives information about share of net sown area, different combinations of crop growing regions, crop concentration regions and crop diversification of the study region. The entire study is based on secondary data which all collected from Government departments of Chamarajanagara district. Chamarajanagara District is the southern-most district in the state of Karnataka. Chamarajanagara district is consisting of 4 taluks namely Chamarajanagara, Gundlupet, Kollegala and Yelandur. There are eleven crops were taken to delineate the agricultural regions in the study area. They are namely jowar, food grains, paddy, pulses, oilseed, ragi, maize, fruits, vegetables, cotton and sugarcane. Weaver's method, Bhatia's method, Gibbs and Martin index method has been used for this study. In the district five, six and eleven crops combinations can be seen among the four taluks. Five crops were cultivated in Yalandurtaluk, six crops cultivated in Gundlupet and Kollegaltaluk, eleven crops cultivated in Chamarajanagarataluk. Crop diversification has been varied from one region to another. The advantage of this present study helps to do better plan in the agriculture sector and helps to understand the situation of all the taluks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Declining per capita land, water and other resources triggered by changing climate and increasing population need resource conservation technologies (RCTs) for agricultural sustainability. This paper has presented findings from recent research on resource conservation technologies that have been attempted in different regions of India. The superiority of resource conservation technologies (RCTs) such as laser land leveling, zero tillage, bed planting, direct seeded rice, leaf colour chart, green seeker and crop diversification over conventional methods of cultivation practices is evaluated in terms of saving of energy, water and labour, increase in crop yield, water productivity, nutrient-use efficiency, net returns and making agriculture climate smart. Zero tillage with residue retention increase soil organic carbon sequestration, conserve soil moisture and lower soil temperature thus making agriculture climate smart. Direct seeded rice is solution for labour scarcity, excessive water and fuel use in transplanted rice. Use of leaf colour chart saves nitrogenous fertilizers. Laser land leveling and bed planting practices increase water productivity and crop yield over conventional practices. But the machinery required for adoption of RCTs are heavy and costly, so the study has suggested the use of machines on co-operative basis and also the wider scale testing of new technologies under diverse production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being blessed with rich agro-climatic conditions, the largest agrarian state in India's North-East, Assam recorded relatively poor agricultural growth, since independence. The question of agricultural performance in terms of use of factors and growth pattern always arise that seems to vary in different stages of policy shift. Agricultural diversity increased in the initial phase with the expansion of agricultural area but slowed down in the later stages. However, the nature of agricultural diversity and use of resources including land allocations reflects the adaptation of farming community, absorption of labour force and sustainability of earning of farmers. The objectives are to analyze: i) the pattern of agricultural growth, diversity; ii) relative contribution of crop diversification, yield and area towards output growth in the pre-Green Revolution, Green Revolution and Post- Reform period; iii) association of various factors with crop yields in the short run and the adjustment process in the long run. Using secondary data, semi-log linear and spline regression functions we examined the growth and stationarity of growth processes is checked by ADF test. Times series analyses like cointegration and ARDL bound testing approach has been followed to examine the relation of various factors with yield of various crops in the short and long run. The ECM also provides the process of adjustment and CUSUM(Q) test is used for checking fitness of the models. Changes in diversity are analyzed through Herfindahl Index and the additive decomposition technique is employed to examine changing contribution of growth of yield, area and cropping pattern and their interactions. The result reveals varied impacts of main weather variable (rainfall), technological factors and cropping intensity on the yields of crops in different phases since 1950-51. Area effect on output and cropping pattern growth though declined, yield growth contributed increasingly in successive sub-periods in Assam. However, the contribution of modern technology towards the growth has not been uniform in the three major stages of agricultural transformation in Assam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this article is the analysis of crop rotation applied to three crop farms of different sizes in Romania. The period under study is before the implementation of the "Environmentally beneficial practices applicable to arable land" eco-scheme, included in the National Strategic Plan of Romania, 2023–2027, in the section on direct payments related to subsidies. The analysed crop farms have different areas, as follows: Farm A—64.97 ha, Farm B—615.50 ha and Farm C—2881.33 ha. This research aims to highlight the agro-environmental conditions specific to each farm that are required to be met by 2023. The data analysis highlights the fact that farms under 100 ha, such as Farm A, must apply the conditions of the eco-scheme as follows: 3.25 ha with non-productive elements, including uncultivated land; 6.50 ha cultivated with crops from the Leguminosae family, 16.25 ha cultivated with cereals, 19.49 ha cultivated with corn, 12.99 ha cultivated with sunflowers, 3.25 ha cultivated with watermelon and 3.25 ha cultivated with vegetables. These farms do not apply modern technologies and have fragmented surfaces, and must have both uncultivated areas and areas planted with nitrogen-fixing crops, but must also practice crop diversification. Farms of over 100 ha, such as Farm B, must have 30.78 ha of non-productive elements and 246.20 ha cultivated with crops from the Leguminosae family, of which 30.78 ha are perennial crops and 215.42 ha are annual crops, such as soy. Crop diversification is also recommended, with 92.33 ha cultivated with cereals, 184.65 ha cultivated with corn and 61.55 ha cultivated with oil crops, sunflower and/or rapeseed. Farms the size of Farm C must have 144.07 ha of non-productive elements, 720.33 ha must be cultivated with crops from the Leguminosae family, such as soy, and diversify crops as follows: 720.33 ha—cereals, 720.33 ha—corn, 518.64 ha—sunflower and/or rapeseed and 57.63 ha—potatoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sustainable agriculture seeks to optimize the application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers to reduce adverse economic and ecological effects. Crop diversification has been proposed to increase the efficiency of N fertilization. An open question is how the soil microbiome responds to these beneficial practices. Methods: In a field study we investigated the effects of mineral N fertilizer with a 0-control, a conventional amount of 150 kg N ha−1 and an excessive application of 250 kg N ha−1 on the soil microbiome within a diversified cropping system with oil radish and undersown ryegrass over a period of 2.5 years and a non-diversified control, both in rotation of potato, winter rye and maize. Results: N-fertilizations and crop rotations altered the pH, but differences were less pronounced with the diversified system. Compared to the crop species and season, N fertilization and crop diversification had less influence on the abundance of soil bacteria, archaea and fungi. The crop diversification showed a much stronger effect on archaeal than on bacterial or fungal abundances, while the microbial carbon use efficiency correlated strongly with bacterial abundance. At the end of the growing seasons, crop diversification increased prokaryotic richness and Shannon diversity in response to N addition, with a greater increase in the conventional N. At conventional N supply, prokaryotic co-occurrence networks revealed a much denser and complex structure in the diversified system. Conclusions: The diversified cropping system under conventional N application rates showed positive effects on the prokaryotic soil microbiome by increasing their richness, Shannon diversity, and promoting a more elaborated network structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This analysis uses panel data methods to assess how food consumption and dietary diversity are affected by changes in household income composition, diversity, and liquidity in rural Malawi. Fixed-effects model estimates reveal several results. First, food consumption and dietary diversity increase with overall income, but at a decreasing rate. Second, while no relationship is found between changes in income per capita of different sources (composition effects), and food consumption per capita, there is a differentiated impact on calorie intake changes and dietary diversity outcomes. Third, overall, there is no statistically significant effect of income diversity on changes in food consumption, but a positive association is found with dietary diversity. As such, income diversity driven by crop diversification leads to greater consumption of calories from roots, pulses, and fruits; and a drop in balanced diets, while income diversification away from agriculture yields greater dietary diversity. Finally, household liquidity, incentivized by off-farm diversification through wage labor market participation and selfemployment, promotes dietary diversity via higher consumption of calories from non-staple foods, notably those dependent on market acquisitions, such as animalbased proteins, vegetables, and fruits. These results are corroborated with those from the Seemingly Unrelated Regression Model. There are several policy and programmatic implications. First, income composition, diversity and liquidity are important dimensions to consider when focusing beyond household food security. Second, efforts to promote and sustain income growth are critical for food consumption growth and dietary diversity but increases in income alone are not enough. Policies and investments that ensure a diversified portfolio of economic activities are likely to result in better consumption and dietary diversity outcomes. Promoting crop diversification at the farm level coupled with nutrition sensitive programming, including extension and crop support programs is critical to increase and sustain consumption and better dietary quality. Third, as balanced diets in the Malawian context require a combination of staple foods sourced through crop and livestock home production, including goats, poultry and small domestically raised animals and protein-rich foods typically purchased in the market, as well as a degree of liquidity achieved through increased generation of cash income. Finally, programmatic efforts are needed to reduce gender gaps in access to resources, strengthening nutrition education more broadly, and ensure availability of balanced diets in school feeding programs potentially linked through local procurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This virtual issue comprises papers that address diversification for providing sustainable solutions at different scales from cropping and grassland to food systems. The authors investigated processes in case studies at the landscape scale where synergies and trade-offs between social and environmental objectives become the most tangible. Contributions from all continents highlighted regional specificities related to diversification and include research from natural and social sciences, with inter- and transdisciplinary approaches including synthesis of knowledge (reviews), empirical studies with experiments as well as assessments with interviews in case studies: Model-based design of crop diversification, the role of digitalization for achieving sustainability in the European context, ecological engineering for rice pest suppression in China, the role of cereal species mixtures in Ethiopian smallholder farmers, diversified planting in arid irrigation areas in northwestern China, integration of legumes in European and Canadian cropping systems, screening of native forage legumes for northern Swedish grassland systems, cropping system diversification of smallholder farmers in south-central Bangladesh, identification of how farmers imagine diversified landscapes in southern Idaho in the US, farm diversification affecting impacts from COVID-19 across Europe, the role of diversified farming in Mato Grosso Brazil, diversification and soil management measures in Germany, value chain formation for the scaling of crop diversification, and the design process with farmers and scientists for the transition toward legume-supported farming in Europe. A key finding from these examples is that agricultural intensification has led to the simplification of cropping systems and landscapes in terms of species diversity and ecosystem function. To instead move towards sustainable transformation, all system levels (i.e. from the plot, farm, landscape, governance and overall food systems) need to interact and reinforce each other for diversification to deliver the desired outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specialization may lead to higher income for small-scale farmers but comes with increased risks, while diversification can mitigate risks and foster agricultural sustainability. Considering the influences of complex risks and farmers' subjective risk aversion, the decision for small-scale farmers to specialize in citrus cultivation or diversify with multiple crops remains uncertain. There is currently limited understanding of this issue among citrus smallholders in rural China. This study aims to fill this empirical gap by examining the impact of smallholder farmers' subjective risk aversion on their choice between citrus monoculture and crop diversification. It utilizes a subjective risk assessment approach that incorporates farmers' risk perceptions and risk attitudes towards citrus farming. Farm crop diversification is assessed through the utilization of both the count index and Shannon index. The empirical analysis employs survey data obtained from citrus growers in Guangxi, China, and applies an instrumental variable regression method with endogeneity consideration using the IV-Probit model and 2SLS model estimation. The results reveal that both risk perceptions and risk attitudes play important roles in citrus smallholders' land allocation decisions. Specifically, citrus farmers who perceive higher risks and adopt risk-averse attitudes are statistically more inclined to engage in land use diversification practices, including the practice of growing citrus as well as other crops, which contributes to reducing the risks of citrus farming and promoting local environmental conservation. These results contribute to a better scholarly comprehension of the relationship between risk perceptions, risk attitudes, and crop diversification among small-scale citrus farmers. They provide valuable insights for enhancing the sustainability of land use systems with citrus farming while also emphasizing the importance of maintaining essential diversification in small-scale farming throughout the process of agricultural modernization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop diversification offers a promising solution to meet expanding global food demands while maintaining ecosystem services. Diversification strategies that use mixed planting to reduce pest damage (e.g. intercropping), termed 'associational effects' (AE) in the ecological literature, can decrease (associational resistance) or increase (associational susceptibility) herbivore abundance on a focal plant. While application of AE to agroecosystems typically reduces pest abundance, the range of outcomes varies widely.We conducted a meta‐analysis using 272 estimates of insect herbivore abundance on crops neighbored by a conspecific or heterospecific from 44 studies undertaken on six continents. We focus on four agricultural crops well represented from sites across the globe to test hypotheses related to understanding how herbivore traits (diet breadth, feeding guild, origin), plant traits (crop type, phylogenetic distance to neighbour) and environmental context (climate, experimental design) contribute to variation in the outcomes of AE.Overall, bicultures provided a strong reduction of insect abundance on the focal crop. Climate and interactions between herbivore traits, particularly diet breadth and origin, and plant traits or environmental context mediated the strength of AE.Bicultures provided the strongest reductions in insect abundance at low latitudes, and this effect decreased at higher latitudes but only for insects with certain traits. Abundance of generalist herbivores and globally distributed pests tended to be most strongly negatively affected by bicultures, under certain contexts, whereas specialist herbivores and native pests were less affected by neighbours.Synthesis and application. This meta‐analysis highlights that crop diversification schemes have an overall strongly beneficial effect of reducing pest abundance. However, there was also variability in the outcomes that is determined in part by the interactive effects of herbivore traits and environmental context. The results provide guidance for incorporating beneficial ecological interactions into integrated pest management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The destructive environmental impacts of large-scale agriculture are further aggravated by drier climate in the Danube-Tisza sand region, where soil fertility is low, water retention is very limited and groundwater levels are steadily dropping. The prevention of wind erosion is a central task in raising the level of ecosystem services. Among other related services the enrichment of the blown-sand soil with organic matter (enhancing carbon sequestration), the improvement of soil structure and water retention capacity and achieving higher soil biodiversity are major objectives. The international Diverfarming project (2017-2022) within the EU Horizon 2020 Program focussed on the impacts of crop diversification and low-input practices. In the experiments intercropping with different annual crops was investigated and its influences on some provisioning and regulating ecosystem services were evaluated in an asparagus field in Jakabszállás. Although the findings point out the decisive role of soil moisture conditions, the positive impacts of diversification are also remarkable. The local farmer agrees that crop diversification improves soil quality, but he denies that it would directly influence farm competitiveness, which is primarily dependent on the costs of fertilization, plant protection and labour. Further analyses are needed to prove the benefits of diversification through enriching soil microbial life and the possible reduction of fertilizer use while water demand is kept at a low level and the same crop quality is ensured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a systematic framework for nationwide crop suitability assessment within the UK to improve the resilience in cropping systems and nutrition security of the UK population. An initial suitability analysis was performed using data from 1842 crops at 2862 grid locations within the UK, using climate (temperature and rainfall) and soil (pH, depth, and texture) data from the UK Met Office and British Geological Survey. In the second phase, additional qualitative and quantitative data are collected on 56 crops with the highest pedoclimatic suitability and coverage across the UK. An exercise was conducted on crops within each category using a systematic ranking methodology that shortlists crops with high value across a multitude of traits. Crops were ranked based on their nutritional value (macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals) and on adaptive (resistance to waterlogging/flood, frost, shade, pest, weed, and diseases and suitability in poor soils) and physiological traits (water-use efficiency and yield). Other characteristics such as the number of special uses, available germplasm through the number of institutions working on the crops, and production knowledge were considered in shortlisting. The shortlisted crops in each category are bulbous barley (cereal), colonial bentgrass (fodder), Russian wildrye (forage), sea buckthorn (fruit), blue lupin (legume), shoestring acacia (nut), ochrus vetch (vegetable), spear wattle (industrial), scallion (medicinal), and velvet bentgrass (ornamental/landscape). These crops were identified as suitable crops that can be adopted in the UK. We further discuss steps in mainstreaming these and other potential crops based on a systematic framework that takes into account local farming system issues, land suitability, and crop performance modelling at the field scale across the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current agricultural production depends on very limited species grown as monocultures that are highly vulnerable to climate change, presenting a threat to the sustainability of agri-food systems. However, many hundreds of neglected crop species have the potential to cater to the challenges of climate change by means of resilience to adverse climate conditions. Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.), one of the underutilised minor millets grown as a rainfed subsistence crop, was selected in this study as an exemplary climate-resilient crop. Using a previously calibrated version of the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM), the sensitivity of the crop to changes in temperature and precipitation was studied using the protocol of the Coordinated Climate Crop Modelling Project (C3MP). The future (2040–2069) production was simulated using bias-corrected climate data from 20 general circulation models of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) under RCP4.5 and 8.5 scenarios. According to the C3MP analysis, we found a 1°C increment of temperature decreased the yield by 5–10% at zero rainfall change. However, Proso millet yields increased by 5% within a restricted climate change space of up to 2°C of warming with increased rainfall. Simulated future climate yields were lower than the simulated yields under the baseline climate of the 1980–2009 period (mean 1707 kg ha–1) under both RCP4.5 (–7.3%) and RCP8.5 (–16.6%) though these changes were not significantly (p > 0.05) different from the baseline yields. Proso millet is currently cultivated in limited areas of Sri Lanka, but our yield mapping shows the potential for expansion of the crop to new areas under both current and future climates. The results of the study, indicating minor impacts from projected climate change, reveal that Proso millet is an excellent candidate for low-input farming systems under changing climate. More generally, through this study, a framework that can be used to assess the climate sensitivity of underutilized crops was also developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: The pressure that agricultural systems' intensive management exerts on the environment concerns society. For this reason, the demand for sustainable foods is growing in the market. This study investigated consumers' Willingness To Pay (WTP) for dry semolina pasta produced with raw materials from more diversified agricultural systems and which factors influence this choice. (2) Methods: The data, collected through a contingent valuation exercise, involved 185 Italian consumers. Through a Tobit model, the drivers influencing the WTP were selected. A latent class cluster analysis determined four different groups of consumers. (3) Results: The data highlighted a real social demand for sustainability. Consumers recognize a higher WTP for sustainable pasta. This value is influenced by drivers such as purchasing habits, personal characteristics, and environmental attitudes. (4) Conclusions: This work offers an approach, both from a market and political point of view, to how this higher potential WTP could be identified and redistributed among the value chain actors by structuring both marketing strategies for the different types of consumers and political tools able to help agri-food chains towards sustainability transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the acknowledged benefits of crop diversification, the transition towards more diversified cropping systems needs to be supported, mainly due to socio-technical lock-ins favoring major dominant crop species. This calls for the development of new approaches to support the design of locally tailored diversified cropping systems. This paper aims to present an original participatory and multi-actor design approach, developed to support the introduction of camelina (Camelina sativa) into the cropping systems of northern France and to provide some insights about the characteristics, the specificities, and the limits of this approach to support its use and adaptation to other contexts. For 3 years, and in connection with the development of an oilseed biorefinery, we gathered a variety of actors (farmers, advisors, engineers in agronomy, researchers, and industrialists) to locally support the introduction of camelina in the cropping systems. First, we illustrate the diversity of the modalities that have been collectively imagined to introduce and manage camelina in the local cropping systems. Then, we describe the originality and the diversity of the knowledge produced on camelina, especially during the assessment of some of these modalities within on-farm experiments. Finally, drawing on concepts and theories from design sciences, we show that (i) the pre-existence of networks of actors, (ii) the rationale involvement of the actors, (iii) the implementation of a situated design process fueled by action and distributed among actors, (iv) the sharing and the circulation of knowledge among a diversity of actors involved in the production and use of the new crop, and (v) the implementation of an effective network management contributed to foster the three key elements that we identified as crucial to support crop diversification, namely, the production of actionable knowledge, the exploration of new ideas/concepts, and the active participation of a diversity of actors of the agri-food system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This review explores the economic, agricultural, and medicinal value of Amaranthus. • Amaranthus spp. contain significant levels of minerals and bioactive compounds. • Diversification of underutilised crops offers untapped potential for Africa. • This can support sustainability, food security, fighting poverty and malnutrition. Crop diversification is crucial for sustaining food security under current climatic conditions which limits crop productivity. It also provides an opportunity for the introduction of new food products and medicinal plants. Effective exploration of Amaranthus in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region can provide economic and agricultural potential, high nutritional value and medicinal properties that can sustain communities. This review is focused on economic and agricultural potential, nutritional value, chemical composition, and medicinal properties of Amaranthus. Amaranthus is an underutilized, inexpensive vegetable with significant dietary minerals, vitamins, proteins, and bioactive compounds with potential health benefits. An agricultural-based approach of crop diversification has been suggested as a sustainable measure that can address food security, fight poverty and malnutrition under drought and heat stress. Nutritional, chemical composition, and medicinal properties of A. caudatus, A. hypochondriacus, A. cruentus, A. spinosus, A. dubius, A. blitum, A. virdis and A. hybridus , was reviewed. In addition, co-administration of herbal medicine by cancer patients and risk of herb-drug pharmacokinetic interactions was also highlighted. The future tolerance level to environmental stressors; investigation of the effect of processing and cooking methods on the nutrient content, bioactive compounds profile and nutraceutical properties of local species and varieties are also recommended in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Value-added (VA) technologies can help farmers in the specialty crops industry generate new products, increase off-season income sources, expand market access, and improve overall profitability. The United States Department of Agriculture defines VA agricultural products as those that have been changed physically or produced in a manner that enhances their value. Drawing from this definition, we investigated the adoption of VA technologies, such as drying, physical cutting into customer-ready portions, and washing, by specialty crops farmers. The objectives of this study were twofold. First, we analyzed how market access drives specialty crop farmers to adopt VA technologies. Second, we addressed key identification issues by investigating the potential endogeneity between the adoption of VA technologies (vertical diversification) and the number of crops (horizontal diversification), which have not been addressed in the VA technology adoption literature. Data for this study were from a 2019 Web-based survey of specialty crops farmers in the United States. The results suggest that market access, growers’ networks, and crop diversification are major drivers of VA technology adoption in the specialty crops industry. The results indicate that farmers who adopted VA technologies experienced economic growth relative to their counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop diversification is considered as a pathway to promote agricultural development. The present paper examines the subtleties of crop diversification in Karnataka through spatial and temporal trends across the districts. The analysis carried out from 2000-01 to 2018-19 indicated steady improvement in crop diversification in the State. The Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) in cereal crops was negative whereas, it was positive in horticulture and plantation crops and commercial crops. However, higher instability was found in other crop groups compared to cereal crops. The districts falling in the southern part of the state tend to be more diversified than other districts. The spectral changes have revealed improvement in spatial diversity over the years in the state. Transitional probability matrix revealed that the shift in area was towards horticulture and plantation crops, commercial crops and condiments and spice crops in the State. However, the major retention in area was found in cereal crops since the share in total gross cropped area is more compared to other crop groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is an underutilised minor millet grown as a rain-fed crop in subsistence farming systems in tropical African and Asian countries including Sri Lanka. It is identified as a climate-resilient crop that exhibits a huge potential to diversify conventional farming systems, however few modelling studies have assessed this crop, especially in the tropics. The objective of this study is to calibrate and validate Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) model for Proso millet. Research Method: The millet model of APSIM that was developed based on Pearl millet was calibrated for five farmer-selected Proso millet accessions using the data gathered from two field experiments. Yield data collected from 35 farmers' fields under different crop management practices were used to validate the model. Findings: The observed phenology, leaf area index, above ground biomass and grain yield were not significantly different (p > 0.05) from the simulated values of the calibrated model. The observed yields (1187±336 kg ha--1) in the farmers' fields were not significantly (p > 0.05) different from the simulated yields (1208±255 kg ha--1), suggesting a good calibration of the model. Research Limitations: Lack of field data under different abiotic stress conditions is a limitation for further validation of the model. Originality/ Value: APSIM millet model has not been tested for Proso millet previously. Derived genetic coefficients were successfully used to simulate Proso millet production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and soil degradation are the issues depleting the soil's ability to promote good yield. One of the ways to combat this is the practice of conservation agriculture (CA). This study was carried out to explore and investigate the impact of CA. Multinomial endogenous switching regression model and cross-sectional data were used to investigate the determinants and the impact of the adoption of CA on the income of smallholder maize farmers in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Three categories of CA (minimum tillage, crop diversification and a combination of both minimum tillage and crop diversification) were considered. The empirical results revealed that regardless of the choices of CA practices adopted by the maize farmers, the income realized was higher for adopters than for non-adopters of CA practices. The average treatment effect for the adopters of both minimum tillage and crop diversification was the highest, showing an increase in income by 60.31% (R15575.99/$996.57USD) compared to the non-adopters. The policy implication for these results is that there is a need to promote the adoption of CA practices, particularly a combination of both minimum tillage and crop diversification, given their significant impact on farmer income, an important welfare outcome that has significant implications on food security and poverty alleviation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change poses a serious threat to the stability of national and global food systems. Agricultural productivity growth is needed to meet increasing global food demand and land use competition. Based on a 2009–2012 panel of 133 cereal farms in Austria, we evaluate if cereal crop diversification can increase both farm labor productivity and resilience to adverse climatic conditions. To identify the productive implications of the interaction between cereal crop diversity and climatic conditions, we apply a partial correlated random effects model accounting for potential endogeneity. Our results indicate that diversified farms are more resilient to reductions in growing season rainfall, but in years with higher rainfall levels diversified farms tend to be less productive. We find that projected climate change induced temperature increases are associated with a considerable productivity decline that cannot be attenuated by cereal crop diversification. • Effect of cereal crop diversity on farm productivity depends on climatic conditions. • Diversified farms are more resilient to reductions in growing season rainfall. • In years with higher rainfall levels diversified farms tend to be less productive. • Higher average growing season temperatures tend to reduce farm labor productivity. • Cereal diversification cannot attenuate temperature induced productivity declines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mono-cropping in the farming system decline in farm profit, climate change, and food insecurity are some of the major concerns that lead to unsustainability in the agricultural production system in the Eastern Gangetic Plains. A study was conducted for three years from June 2019 to June 2022 at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar, India, to assess the profitable and best rice-based cropping system through crop diversification for sustainable agriculture. Ten different cropping sequences were exploited using randomised block design and replicated thrice, with the system productivity ranging from 8.70 to 24.95 t ha−1 under the different cropping sequences. The system productivity was increased by 187% and profitability by 299.52% in the maize − Cole crops − sesame cropping system over the rice − wheat cropping system. A diversified cropping system with black gram − maize + vegetable pea − sesbania possessed significantly more soil organic carbon (0.49%), bacterial population (47.85 × 106 cfu/g soil), azotobacter population (42.96 × 104 cfu/g soil), phosphate solubilising bacteria (20.72 × 106 cfu/g soil), dehydrogenase activity (4.39 µg TPF/g/h), fluorescein diacetate hydrolytic activity (17.28 µg fluorescein/g/h) and acid phosphatase activity (451.46 µg pNP/g/h), as well as urease activity (47.21 µg NH4+/g/h), relative to the rice–wheat cropping system. Therefore, the adoption of vegetables and legumes as diversified crops are viable options for enhancing productivity, profitability and soil health in the EGPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop diversification is observed as a key strategy for accelerating agricultural expansion in India by increasing food and nutritional security, income and employment generation, poverty reduction, use of effective natural resources and proper environmental management. Using the herfindhal index, Simpson index and entropy index, the study was carried out across all districts of Karnataka state in an attempt to determine the level of agricultural diversification of crops. Secondary data on the area and production of principal crops in all districts for the duration of the study period were gathered from the ‘Karnataka at a Glance’ publication by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Karnataka, Bengaluru. For the time periods 1995-2007 and 2008-2019, Chamarajanagar district exhibited strong diversity whereas Yadgir and Bengaluru urban districts showed relatively low diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop diversification is essential for long-term farm in- come, rural livelihood and agricultural development in Himachal Pradesh (HP), India. The present study aims to examine the effect of climate, agricultural and socio-economic factors on crop diversification. Sirmaur district was found to be diverse, Kangra and Mandi districts were highly diversified, but Solan district was highly specialized in agriculture in HP. The fixed effects were found to be significant, indicating the role of farm-level changes in agronomic and cropping practices as a result of climate change. Crop diversification was led by population density, percentage of marginal and small farmers, cropping intensity, cultivators, marginal workers and total main workers. The important climate parameters like rainfall and minimum temperature, as well as other factors such as irrigation intensity and food crop productivity, had a negative impact on crop diversification, implying crop specialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cropping system design is being transformed through the twofold evolution of agricultural practices for an agroecological transition, and of equipment diversification for agrotechnical needs. Among the most well-known drivers there are genetic selection, crop diversification, protein and energy autonomy. Protein and energy autonomy but also crop diversification could be achieved by reintroducing pulses into farming systems. The availability of specific equipment might be the simplest prerequisite for developing agroecological farming practices while supporting these goals. However, the links between pulses and agri-equipment are not clarified in the literature. The aim of this study is to understand recent historical and current links between pulses and equipment and to gain insight into the suitability or even to find shortcomings concerning pulses and available agri-equipment. To this end, 21 key informants were identified in the agronomical, sociotechnical, economic, and political sectors in France. We asked them four questions: (i) Can you describe your professional functions? (ii) Do you think that equipment is related to the design of the culture system? (iii) Do you think that pulses require specific equipment? (iv) How do you define agroecology? Respondents' profiles are equally distributed into profiles directly related to the farmer and profiles not directly related to farmers. All 21 respondents answered questions (ii) and (iv). Only 14 respondents answered question (iii), and most of them are directly related to the farmer. We note that pulses do not require specific agri-equipment in a conventional system. The need for agri-equipment is found in the soil conservation approach where pulses are combined with other crops. Soil conservation approaches appear to achieve agroecological goals through the reintroduction of legumes and the decarbonization of energy associated with reduced mechanical costs and CO2 emissions. This article presents expert opinions on the impact of equipment in the adaptation of agroecological practices as well as insights into the existing blockages of equipment in relation to soil conservation practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial crop diversity is currently an important approach for increasing agricultural profitability and reducing the risk of crop failure. Diversification can also be used to aid in poverty reduction, employment planning and environmental conservation. Growing a variety of crops does not guarantee increased returns, though it may help to stabilise them. Diversification leads to profit maximisation by taking use of complementary relationships. Agricultural diversification has been stressed at the national level as a strategy for increasing income and creating employment. Many countries have tried crop diversification to increase productivity and cultivate high value crops in order to address the challenges of a globalising agricultural market as well as the expanding and changing requirements of the people, with favourable results. These countries are gradually diversifying their crop sectors in favour of high-value items including fruits, vegetables and spices. Here, we review this under three main sections: the impact of agricultural diversification on farm income, the impact of agricultural diversification on employment and the factors influencing the implementation of crop diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cotton production is labour intensive in almost all the developing countries where it is picked by hand. However, due to acute labour shortage in recent times, mechanized harvesting is gaining momentum. Mechanized harvesting requires the application of defoliants, which reduces the cost of labour used for picking cotton and maximum cotton can be picked in a single pick (one picking) and providing timely sowing of next crop. So, farmers can get benefit of two crops instead of one single long duration cotton crop. Researchers have conducted various studies on defoliation in cotton using different chemicals and different defoliation methods. However, in India their usage could not be exploited much due to their limited availability. Methods: A field experiment entitled "Studies on defoliants in high density planting cotton-greengram sequence" was conducted during 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 on clay soils at Agricultural College Farm, Bapatla. Crop diversification of cotton with pulses (Greengram) is an alternative cropping system for monocropping of cotton to get higher returns and high land use efficiency. Result: Total cotton equivalent yield was highest with dropp ultra @ 250 ml ha-1 (D1) which was on par with Etherel @ 3000 ppm (D3) in 2018 and in pooled data. 80% boll opening recorded maximum total cotton equivalent yield, which was on par with node above cracked boll. Land use efficiency and production use efficiency were highest in late sown (80% boll opening) plots. The highest net returns and returns per rupee investment were noticed with application of defoliant dropp ultra @ 250 ml ha-1 (D1) and at 80% boll opening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whilst current policies recognize the impacts that changes in climates and markets have imposed on the Italian food system, less attention is given to the development of systematic approaches to identify alternative cropping systems across Italy and the European continent. In this article, a novel evidence-based crop shortlisting method was developed to address crop diversification needs for Italy as an example for the whole of Europe. In order to shortlist possible options from a pool of 2700 crops, a crop–climate–soil matching exercise was performed across Italian territory, and crops with more than 70% suitability were chosen for further analysis. In the second phase, a multi-criteria ranking index was employed to assign ranks to chosen crops of four main types: (i) cereals and pseudocereals, (ii) legumes, (iii) starchy roots/tubers, and (iv) vegetables. To provide a comprehensive analysis, all of the abovementioned criteria were compared for both major crops that are grown in the region and potential underutilised crops (UCs). The results of evaluation of four major criteria (namely (a) calorie and nutrition demand, (b) functions and uses, (c) availability and accessibility to their genomic material, (d) possession of adaptive traits, and (e) physiological traits) revealed the potential for teff, faba bean, cowpea, green arrow arum, Jerusalem artichoke, Fig-leaved Gourd, and Watercress. We discuss the implication of utilising such systematic approaches to crop selection and developing transformative solutions for food security with the aim of providing a primer for mainstreaming UCs in policy and investment plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, CGIAR researchers have investigated the effectiveness of using agrobiodiversity, and more particularly crop and crop varietal diversity, as an adaptive practice to mitigate climate-change impacts on agriculture and to contribute to rural household and community resilience. The hypothesis informing this research is that the sustained practice of crop diversification leads to ecological redundancy, which allows farmer households and their communities to produce multiple positive livelihood benefits. The validity of this hypothesis is investigated by means of an extensive literature review (covering 2015–2020). Findings reveal ample evidence of positive outcomes, including increased yields and household incomes, improved nutrition and food security, new marketing opportunities, reduced poverty, and strengthened adaptive and innovative capacity. However, the evidence is far less convincing about the last part of the hypothetical impact pathway, i.e. the link between positive livelihood benefits and (increased) resilience. This shortcoming is addressed through the elaboration of a more clearly articulated theory of change for crop diversification and a refined methodology to support farmers in making appropriate diversification decisions. At the same time, the critical review opens a window on an important, novel perspective, which is to look at the role that crop diversification could play in a wider societal transition toward a more sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop diversification is generally viewed as a shift from traditional low-value to high-value crops, and is an important pathway for economic development. It reflects a change from subsistence cropping to commercial cropping. Crop diversification is essential for an agricultural based economy like Arunachal Pradesh, where more than 60 percent of the population belongs to rural area and their primary occupation is agricultural and allied activities with crop farming as their main economic activity. Arunachal Pradesh is an agrarian state and it is the main source of earning for the people of the state as well as the Lohit and Lower Dibang Valley districts. The present study attempts to analyze the trend and pattern of crop diversification in Lohit and Lower Dibang Valley districts of Arunachal Pradesh during the period from 2002-03 to 2019-20. The study is primarily based on secondary data which were collected from Statistical abstract of Arunachal Pradesh, Economic survey report of Arunachal Pradesh and District census handbook. The compound annual growth rates (CAGR) of area, production and yield were calculated to examine the performance of the crop sector in the state as well the selected districts. Further, Simpson Index of Diversification is used to fulfill the set objective of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Crop concentration focuses on the pre-dominance of certain crops over other crops in a specific area under study. On the other hand, crop diversification refers to the various types of crops grown in a specific time period under the study area. If the numbers of different types of crops grown in an area during a specified time period is more, the area will have the higher crop diversification and vice versa. So, crop concentration and crop diversification reveal changing pattern of competition among various crops for getting prominence over other crops. Methods: The present study was initiated to have an analysis of present situation regarding the crop concentration and crop diversification in Birbhum district of West Bengal over the years of 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 through interpretation of the data related with the area, production and productivity data of the major crops of the district obtained from the Govt. of India data source. (aps.dac.gov.in/APY/Public_ Report1.apx). In this study, the crop concentration of Birbhum district is delineated with the help of the Crop Concentration Index of Bhatia (1965) and crop diversification is assessed with the help of the Gibbs and Martin Index of diversification (1962). Result: The present study clearly finds out that the crop concentration index of Birbhum district is low as the mean of the Indices is 34.01 with corresponding standard deviation (SD) of 0.2997 and co-efficient of variance (CV) of Indices is as low as 0.0088 over a period of five years from 2012-13 to 2016-17. This study also reveals that in Birbhum district only 2 crops having more than 10 per centage point share in the gross cropped area (GCA) of the district provides the farmers a wide scope of farming various different crops or group of crops. The present study also points out that the district has a fairly diversified pallet of crops as the Mean value of crop diversification indices is 00.64754 with a standard deviation of as negligible as 00.0001 with a minute CV of Indices of 00.00016 for the time period of 5 years i.e. from 2012-13 to 2016-17, having potential for further well planned diversification of the crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study explores the pattern and extent of food-crop diversification and its implications on nutritional indicators in India using district-level data for the most recent period. It relied on data from land-use statistics and the National Family Health Survey 2015-16. We estimated the Simpson index for food-crop diversification and undernutrition index for nutritional status. The association of crop diversification and nutritional status was analysed employing bivariate copula function. The findings show striking regional differences in the extent of food-crop diversification and nutritional outcomes. The results of the copula function indicate a significant inverse relationship between crop diversification and undernutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we probe the determinants of crop diversification agricultural technique for the North‐Eastern region/zone (NER/NEZ) of India. We use a balanced panel data for the period 1990 through 2015 subject to the availability of the data and employ the cointegration and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) models to identify the variables that promote the requirement of crop diversification technique for NEZ of India. Our findings show the evidence of cointegration among the variables included in the system and the results of DOLS model explain that agricultural credit, and cropping intensity positively explain the crop diversification while fertilizers, rural road density, and operational holdings are negatively related to crop diversification for north eastern states of India. Our results further merit the demand of effective government policies pertaining to agriculture so that the agricultural output of NEZ and farm earnings of the agriculturists can be increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The persistence of agrarian crises in Punjab state of India has necessitated the policymakers to identify new institutional agri-businesses to make farm growth sustainable and inclusive. Contract farming in high-value crops such as potato is seen as one of the several ways to develop new market linkages with the farmers and improve farming income consistently through the dissemination of new production and post-harvest processing technologies. In this context, a comparative analysis of contract farmers associated with the PepsiCo company and non-contract farmers growing potato for local markets is carried out in Punjab to determine the empirical gains that accrue to contract farmers and the role of contract farming in farm diversification. The findings revealed that the company procures potatoes at farmers' fields through quad-partite and written contractual agreements, extends extension and training facilities at the farmers' doorstep, and provides yield-based incentives to the farmers. Contract farmers earned more profits than their counterpart non-contract farmers mainly due to their better price realization, although contract farmers had lower yields and higher cost of production than non-contract farmers. However, the imposition of the condition of growing at least 4 ha of area under potatoes led to the exclusion of small farmers and did not lead to diversification away from traditional crops to high-value crops such as potato. The study argues that the Punjab government needs to play a proactive role in facilitating the participation of small farmers through group contracts and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) to enhance farmers' income and crop diversification through potato contract farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of crop diversification in response to climate change in perennial cropping systems is poorly understood. This study identifies the current level of diversification, determinants of and constraints to adopting crop diversification in tea plantations in Sri Lanka as an example of a perennial crop in a developing country context. We use a Panel Tobit model to analyse the driving forces of crop diversification using 2004–2018 data collected from 49 tea estates. In addition, tea estates' managers were interviewed to investigate barriers to adopting crop diversification. The study reveals that geo-climatic conditions, magnitude of increase in temperature, and higher revenue variability are the specific factors influencing managers' probability of adopting crop diversification. Constraints to crop diversification include technological lock-in hindering alternative crops and worker shortages, financial difficulties, lack of productive lands suitable for alternative crops, ineffective Government land-use policies and regional weather patterns such as prolonged rainfall and heavy winds. Identified barriers provide important insights into how to assist plantations to adopt crop diversification. We propose three policy recommendations to enhance tea estate managers' adaptive capacity to various environmental and social changes through crop diversification. These are: (1) enable managers to acquire the technical know-how on cultivating alternative crops by conducting practical training programmes connecting with the Department of Agriculture or Agriculture Faculties of regional Universities.; (2) increase awareness of less labor-intensive crops for diversification along with strategies for mechanisation via programmes integrated with the Ministry of Plantation Agriculture and the Agriculture Modernization Project of the Department of Agriculture; and (3) enact a national policy to mandate crop diversification in marginal tea lands with financial assistance from the Government. [Display omitted] • Climate change adaptation in perennial cropping systems is rarely studied. • The study quantifies the extent of crop diversification and identifies its determinants and constraints. • Crop diversification in tea plantations is determined by temperature and elevation. • Financial constraints and managers' technical incompetency on alternative crops limit the adoption of crop diversification. • National policy is required for popularizing crop diversification in tea plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive food and feed production in sole-cropped, large fields with high fertilizer and pesticide inputs to achieve high yields, has contributed to detrimental environmental impacts. To move towards more sustainable agricultural landscapes, cropping system diversification has been suggested as a promising practice for which the use of digital technologies could be potentially beneficial. Understanding the impact of diversified, newly arranged cropping systems and their management requires long-term experimental data at the landscape scale and practical experiences in using digital technologies which are hardly available. Experimental platforms in an agricultural landscape setup with farmers' involvement could meet such demands but have not been set up in many regions nor has the process of designing such platforms been described systematically. The overall objective of this study was to describe how an experimental platform can be co-designed jointly by researchers and practitioners to study and understand the impact of diversification practices compared to current cropping systems in Eastern Brandenburg, Germany. Specifically, we aimed to re-design an intensively managed field into smaller field segments that we called patches and to assess the potential of a co-created landscape experiment for sustainable agricultural production focussing on both, the practitioners´ and scientists´ perspective. We used the DEED research cycle (Describe, Explain, Explore and Design) as a conceptual framework to co-design the landscape experiment called patchCROP within a commercial farm. Patches were implemented as 0.5 ha fields within the original field based on yield and soil maps using advanced cluster analysis which considered soil heterogeneity. The original narrow crop sequence was diversified by integrating new crops, cover crops and flower strips for a five-year crop rotation. To cultivate the patches, large machinery was used during the first years but will be replaced over time with autonomous field robots. Workshops and various methods such as a SWOT analysis were used to adjust the management practices towards pesticide reduction. The SWOT analysis revealed opportunities and drawbacks to develop such a research platform in a participative manner from both the scientific and practical farming perspective. We found that the farmer-centric position focused mainly on the economic return and feasibility of future field operations in the diversified field. The scientific perspective on the other hand described needs and potentials about the research process for evaluating dynamic, interdependent or opposing natural processes and their interactions like productivity, biodiversity and ecosystem service changes in an agricultural landscape context. Co-designed landscape experiments have the potential to simultaneously assess the impact of newly developed cropping systems on biodiversity and ecosystem services beyond the field level, crop performance and soil quality at multiple scales, and the implications for multiple actors. This is a step forward to extend systems-based research from single plot to landscape research in an on-farm environment, allowing the exploration of diversification measures with new digital technologies in the long run. [Display omitted] • Impacts of crop diversification are studied in a landscape experiment. • Farmer's perspective was successfully included in the design of a complex experiment. • Landscape experiments generate systemic agroecosystem knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]