Land use modelling needs to better account for multiple cropping to inform pathways for sustainable agriculture
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Multiple cropping, the simultaneous cultivation of several crops in space or time, is a global practice essential for intensifying and diversifying agriculture. Despite its substantial impact on environmental and socioeconomic outcomes of farming, multiple cropping is hardly accounted for in assessments of global food production, sustainability, and climate impacts. Such studies, often relying on modelling of cropping systems, land use change, and eventually the Earth system, are of growing importance in decision-making and policymaking. However, they primarily assume monocropping, neglecting carryover effects between crops and their implications for land use. This limitation compromises the representativeness of these studies and the conclusions they draw, essentially overlooking a substantial option space for sustainable intensification, nature-based solutions, and resulting land-atmosphere feedback. Herein, we outline the relevance of multiple cropping, reflect on its consideration in land-use models, and identify development requirements to enhance their inclusion in informing policymaking for sustainable food systems.
Institutions: University of Augsburg, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Wageningen University & Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aix-Marseille Université, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie Marine et Continentale, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Met Office, University of Florida, Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Leibniz Association, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hebei GEO University, University of Leeds, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Lund University, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, KU Leuven, University of Exeter
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,490
OpenAlex ID: W4414345657