The productive performance of intercropping

Agricultural diversification is useful for agronomic, environmental, and dietary reasons. Here we confirm, based on a meta-analysis of 226 field trials, that the simultaneous cultivation of two species in the same plot (intercropping) leads to substantial land savings over single crops when the objective is to produce a diversified set of crop products. While intercropping leads on average to a small yield penalty for grains and calories compared with the most productive single crop comprised in the mixture, it can provide similar or even higher protein yields, especially with modest N fertilizer application. In addition, it provides further ecological services. Intercropping thus has the potential to diversify crop production and make cropping systems more sustainable.