Long-term evidence for ecological intensification as a pathway to sustainable agriculture

Chloe MacLaren (), Andrew Mead, Derk Balen, Lieven Claessens, Ararso Etana, Janjo Haan, Wiepie Haagsma, Ortrud Jäck, Thomas Keller, Johan Labuschagne, Åsa Myrbeck, Magdalena Necpalova, Generose Nziguheba, Johan Six, Johann Strauss, Pieter Andreas Swanepoel, Christian Thierfelder, Cairistiona Topp, Flackson Tshuma, Harry Verstegen, Robin Walker, Christine Watson, Marie Wesselink and Jonathan Storkey
Additional contact information
Chloe MacLaren: Rothamsted Research
Andrew Mead: Rothamsted Research
Derk Balen: Wageningen University and Research
Lieven Claessens: Wageningen University and Research
Ararso Etana: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
Janjo Haan: Wageningen University and Research
Wiepie Haagsma: Wageningen University and Research
Ortrud Jäck: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
Thomas Keller: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
Johan Labuschagne: Western Cape Department of Agriculture
Åsa Myrbeck: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
Magdalena Necpalova: University College Dublin
Generose Nziguheba: International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
Johan Six: ETH Zürich
Johann Strauss: Stellenbosch University
Pieter Andreas Swanepoel: Stellenbosch University
Christian Thierfelder: Southern Africa Regional Office, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT)
Cairistiona Topp: SRUC Edinburgh
Flackson Tshuma: Stellenbosch University
Harry Verstegen: Wageningen University and Research
Robin Walker: SRUC Aberdeen
Christine Watson: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
Marie Wesselink: Wageningen University and Research
Jonathan Storkey: Rothamsted Research

Nature Sustainability, 2022, vol. 5, issue 9, 770-779

Abstract: Abstract Ecological intensification (EI) could help return agriculture into a ‘safe operating space’ for humanity. Using a novel application of meta-analysis to data from 30 long-term experiments from Europe and Africa (comprising 25,565 yield records), we investigated how field-scale EI practices interact with each other, and with N fertilizer and tillage, in their effects on long-term crop yields. Here we confirmed that EI practices (specifically, increasing crop diversity and adding fertility crops and organic matter) have generally positive effects on the yield of staple crops. However, we show that EI practices have a largely substitutive interaction with N fertilizer, so that EI practices substantially increase yield at low N fertilizer doses but have minimal or no effect on yield at high N fertilizer doses. EI practices had comparable effects across different tillage intensities, and reducing tillage did not strongly affect yields.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41893-022-00911-x

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