Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LEGUMINOSE (Legume-cereal intercropping for sustainable agriculture across Europe)
Reporting period: 2022-11-01 to 2024-04-30
The primary goal of LEGUMINOSE is to identify the obstacles that hinder intercropping and to increase farmers' acceptance by providing knowledge and demonstrations that highlight the economic, environmental, and social advantages of legume-cereal intercropping. LEGUMINOSE is evaluating the potential for intercropping by focusing on pesticide reduction, plant-microbe mediated nutrient cycling, soil health improvement, and crop quality and health. To overcome the barriers to implementing intercropping, we have established a network of seven research field trials and farm labs (20 farms in each country; 180 on-farm trials with cereal-grain legume intercropping) in different pedo-climatic zones across Europe (IT, DE, DR, ES, PL, CZ, UK) and beyond (EG and PK). Additionally, we plan to create a web-based decision support system for intercropping. With the collaboration of various stakeholders, we will assess and disseminate the economic, ecological, and social benefits of legume-intercropping systems, with international outreach from farm-level to policymakers.
To fulfil our project aims and to coordinate our efforts, the project is structured into different work packages that focus on individual questions and topics. These work packages are clustered into three components: Research, Tools and Dialogs.
Research: Research field trials
The LEGUMINOSE project involves seven field trials across Europe, including three long-term trials in the Czech Republic, Denmark, and Poland, and four newly established trials in Italy, Germany, Spain, and the UK. To ensure consistency, common soil and plant sampling protocols were developed and shared among the partners responsible for different analyses. UNIFI, LUH, and IAPAS conducted the first sampling campaign on long-term trials, while responsible partners conducted sampling in the newly established trials. Over 1,800 samples were collected and are currently undergoing laboratory analyses to evaluate intercropping's multi-functionality, including its ability to improve ecosystem services like nutrient retention, greenhouse gas emission reduction, crop yield and quality, and soil health.
Research and Dialog: On-farm living labs
The living lab approach is being utilized to gather and disseminate information about legume-cereal intercropping across nine countries in Europe and beyond. A total of 180 farms have been established as living labs, with 148 currently confirmed, to showcase and test the effectiveness of legume-cereal intercropping practices. These farms serve as on-farm demonstration sites and data collection points across different environments and farm types. The most common crop combinations include wheat-chickpea, wheat-peas, barley-peas, barley-vetch, and barley-chickpea. These farm labs will serve as examples in their respective regions, connecting farmers, trading companies, the food industry, and consumers. Each farm conducts simplified field trials to evaluate the benefits of legume-cereal intercropping compared to monocultures, measuring parameters such as yields, crop proportion in the mixture, and crop quality (WP3 and 4). At least one living lab in each country has been selected to collect data on the efficiency of species mixtures in controlling phytopathogens, insect pests, diseases, and weeds (WP5). At least two living labs in each country have been chosen to collect additional data to validate the intercropping system model (WP6).
The farms and farmers participating in living labs or experts responsible for research field trials also serve as participants for socio-economic studies on farmers' motivations for intercropping and as pilot farms for testing new marketing strategies for intercropping products and forming innovative partnerships (WP2 and 7).
Tool: Decision support system for intercropping
LEGUMINOSE aims to develop an interactive web-based platform for assisting decision-making on intercropping (DSS [Decision Support System]-Intercropping) (WP6), which consists of several components, including a European SQL intercropping database, the intercropping model (InterCrop), and European soil map and weather data. Together data from the research field trials and living labs, WP6 designed and implemented a robust SQL database structure. This central database seamlessly integrates data collected in work packages 3, 4, and 5 and will be utilised for parameterization and evaluation of the InterCrop model and the DSS-Intercropping tool. The InterCrop model accounts for both above- and below-ground interactions, simulates plant height, biomass production, soil water and nitrogen dynamics, and yield (quantity and protein content) of the intercropped species. The first version of InterCrop has been coded and implemented in the DSS tool.
Dialog: Stakeholder engagement
LEGUMINOSE employs multi-actor methods to address barriers to intercropping. The project has established Dynamic Innovation Partnerships (DIP) in seven countries, linking stakeholders from various sectors in the legume-cereal intercropping value chain. Additionally, LEGUMINOSE conducted ten workshops with focus groups to identify SWOT analysis for intercropping. A survey of 2,021 farmers across nine partner countries, with an average of 228 respondents per country, was conducted to map barriers, opportunities, and the primary initiatives for intercropping.
Research: Research field trials
The LEGUMINOSE project involves seven field trials across Europe, including three long-term trials in the Czech Republic, Denmark, and Poland, and four newly established trials in Italy, Germany, Spain, and the UK. To ensure consistency, common soil and plant sampling protocols were developed and shared among the partners responsible for different analyses. UNIFI, LUH, and IAPAS conducted the first sampling campaign on long-term trials, while responsible partners conducted sampling in the newly established trials. Over 1,800 samples were collected and are currently undergoing laboratory analyses to evaluate intercropping's multi-functionality, including its ability to improve ecosystem services like nutrient retention, greenhouse gas emission reduction, crop yield and quality, and soil health.
Research and Dialog: On-farm living labs
The living lab approach is being utilized to gather and disseminate information about legume-cereal intercropping across nine countries in Europe and beyond. A total of 180 farms have been established as living labs, with 148 currently confirmed, to showcase and test the effectiveness of legume-cereal intercropping practices. These farms serve as on-farm demonstration sites and data collection points across different environments and farm types. The most common crop combinations include wheat-chickpea, wheat-peas, barley-peas, barley-vetch, and barley-chickpea. These farm labs will serve as examples in their respective regions, connecting farmers, trading companies, the food industry, and consumers. Each farm conducts simplified field trials to evaluate the benefits of legume-cereal intercropping compared to monocultures, measuring parameters such as yields, crop proportion in the mixture, and crop quality (WP3 and 4). At least one living lab in each country has been selected to collect data on the efficiency of species mixtures in controlling phytopathogens, insect pests, diseases, and weeds (WP5). At least two living labs in each country have been chosen to collect additional data to validate the intercropping system model (WP6).
The farms and farmers participating in living labs or experts responsible for research field trials also serve as participants for socio-economic studies on farmers' motivations for intercropping and as pilot farms for testing new marketing strategies for intercropping products and forming innovative partnerships (WP2 and 7).
Tool: Decision support system for intercropping
LEGUMINOSE aims to develop an interactive web-based platform for assisting decision-making on intercropping (DSS [Decision Support System]-Intercropping) (WP6), which consists of several components, including a European SQL intercropping database, the intercropping model (InterCrop), and European soil map and weather data. Together data from the research field trials and living labs, WP6 designed and implemented a robust SQL database structure. This central database seamlessly integrates data collected in work packages 3, 4, and 5 and will be utilised for parameterization and evaluation of the InterCrop model and the DSS-Intercropping tool. The InterCrop model accounts for both above- and below-ground interactions, simulates plant height, biomass production, soil water and nitrogen dynamics, and yield (quantity and protein content) of the intercropped species. The first version of InterCrop has been coded and implemented in the DSS tool.
Dialog: Stakeholder engagement
LEGUMINOSE employs multi-actor methods to address barriers to intercropping. The project has established Dynamic Innovation Partnerships (DIP) in seven countries, linking stakeholders from various sectors in the legume-cereal intercropping value chain. Additionally, LEGUMINOSE conducted ten workshops with focus groups to identify SWOT analysis for intercropping. A survey of 2,021 farmers across nine partner countries, with an average of 228 respondents per country, was conducted to map barriers, opportunities, and the primary initiatives for intercropping.
LEGUMINOSE focuses on expanding the impact of research findings through on-farm living labs and field trials, with the aim of providing fact-based knowledge to stakeholders and the general public. The project focuses on the economic and ecological advantages of intercropping and is developing a decision-support tool to aid in intercropping practices. LEGUMINOSE is also investigating tailored intercropping mixtures for specific cropping systems under various pedo-climatic conditions and aims to offer more than just yield and N cycling benefits. The project is sharing its findings through a combination of field trials and on-farm living labs, both within and outside of Europe, and is working to elevate intercropping from a niche strategy to a widely adopted practice. Ultimately, LEGUMINOSE aims to lead to more resource-efficient cropping systems with reduced inputs, smaller carbon footprints, improved biodiversity, and increased resilience to climate fluctuations.