Welcome to the DIVERSify project’s Guide for Farmers and Agronomists!
The DIVERSify project worked to optimise the performance of crop species mixtures, intercropping or ‘plant teams’ to improve yields, reduce pest and disease damage, and enhance stress resilience in agricultural systems. Researchers also found that plant teams have the potential to deliver multiple ecosystem services and provide opportunities for innovation on-farm and beyond.
As a number of barriers to uptake exist, partners from different agricultural settings and climatic regions across Europe explored solutions to barriers and the practicalities of intercropping by working with farmers via trials and demonstration.
Here you will find summaries of the key results from the research in relation to 3 areas of interest:
1.
AGRONOMY
Agronomy of plant teams, from the principles, to crop health management and N fertilisation
2. RESILIENCE and ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
How plant teams can provide resilience and ecosystem services, and how this could be recognised in farm payment schemes
3. PRACTICAL EXPERIENCES and INNOVATION
Insights into practical experiences of growing plant teams and the wider opportunities for innovation that they can create for agricultural businesses
For more information on specific crop combinations and management options in certain climatic regions, try the DIVERSify Decision Support Tool: CropMIXER.
To delve further into the evidence on how plant teams can contribute towards policy targets, such as input reduction, resilience to climate change or rural innovation, visit the DIVERSify Policy Toolbox.