Despite the numbers of paper and researches showing the benefits of alternative cropping systems (intercropping, relay intercropping, mixed cropping), "sole cropping" with the due crop rotations seems to be the dominant option applied by farmers.
Do you have any evidences or suggestions for the contrary?
Dear Filippo
In organic and agroecological production systems, the diversity of crops is important, not only in rotation but also intercropped. In the case of Quinoa cultivation, it is important because this plant is inefficient in developing association with mycorrhizae in the soil, therefore intercropping with legumes among other crops favors a better development of microorganisms in the soil.
Multiple cropping systems allow 1.extra income generation,2. risk of crop failure (If one crop get failed, other crop may provide revenues), can be reduced to a greater extent 3. Soil fertility and sustainability is maintained if two or more than two crops that has to be taken together will have disimilar habits like including legumes and pulses with cereals 4.multiple cropping systems will provide extra benefits if there is annidation between them w.r.t spatial and temporal difference like different rooting and shoot stature and also input demands in different time so there there wouldn't be competition among them ...
- The possibility of using mechanization in the cultivation and harvesting in sole culture compared to intercropping culture. Furthermore, intercropping systems requires an experienced worker and technical skill to deal with two crops at the same time
Dear bro,
Many factors effecting on this case, for example type of farm, size of farm, soil types, water sources, crop types, while many other factors relative to both of crops you want to planting beside that culture also has impact to decide for applying intercropping system. In my country, farmers till now could not accept the importance of intercropping may be this is corrected for many countries!
What seems to be the major reason(s) for sole cropping nowadays by farmers is the high cost of fertilisers to improve the nutrients status of soil . Most soil has loss its fertility and with intercropping system, yield may be low and unprofitable.
Further on this, it may be difficult to use chemicals to control weeds in intercropping and the cost of labour for manual weeding is high and most times labours are scarce.
Inspite of all the benefits and opportunities, farmers adhere to the radiational cropping systems due to many a factors which influence their decision, most importantly the marketing of the produce.
Cost and income are the primary concerns of many farmers. Alternative cropping systems require too much labor cost for many smallholders, especially those small farmers, and it is difficult to see a significant increase in income.
The Rice-wheat cropping system is India's most widely adopted cropping system practiced on an estimated area of around 11 million hectares. Crop rotation is a key principle of agriculture conservation because it improves the soil structure and fertility, and because it helps control weeds, pests and diseases. In agriculture, monocropping is the practice of growing a single crop year after year on the same land. Maize, soybeans, and wheat are three common crops often monocropped. Compared to the 11% global average, 51% of India's land area is already under cultivation. Since independence, the current cropping intensity, which is 136%, has only increased by 25%. A cropping system refers to the type and sequence of crops grown and practices used for growing them. It encompasses all cropping sequences practiced over space and time based on the available technologies of crop production. Cropping systems have been traditionally structured to maximize crop yields. Major crops grown in India are rice, wheat, millets, pulses, tea, coffee, sugarcane, oil seeds, cotton and jute, etc. Rice: It is the staple food crop of a majority of the people in India.
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