Drone view of the intercropping of wheat and pea experiment in Lönnstorp (pic: Ryan D)
Cropping systems in Southern Sweden are highly specialized; focused on producing arable cash crops with a high dependence on external inputs such as fertilizers, weed control measures, and pesticides. With increasing risks to crop production arising from higher input prices and unavailability of inputs (e.g., due to trade issues and conflicts), climatic factors, and outbreaks of pests and diseases, cropping systems need to evolve to reduce reliance on external inputs. They must also be resilient to both internal and external risks and contribute to improving ecosystem functioning.
To find a possible solution for the above challenges, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) set up a field experiment to test intercropping of spring wheat and spring peas with various levels of nitrogen input, with and without pesticides and with different seeding rates. The aim of this experiment is to understand the effect of both intercropping and input levels on soil health, greenhouse gas emissions, crop yield, and quality. In parallel, an ongoing case study in Sweden is aiming to promote local production and consumption of grain legumes through intercropping. This study will identify challenges and opportunities for intercropping and will use the field experiment as a trial and platform for discussion and motivation.
The field experiment was established in spring 2024 at the SITES Lönnstorp research station in Southern Sweden. It was showcased during the annual Lönnstorp Field Walk on 13 June 2024, attended by 15 curious participants, comprising of farmers, researchers and advisors.
An important question asked by the participants was whether intercropping is feasible in real-world situations, especially concerning similar maturity time, harvesting, and sorting of the intercrops. One participant suggested that using intercrops as livestock feed could be a good solution, as it would reduce the need for similar maturity times and sorting. There was a mix of curiosity, optimism, and reservations among the participants about adopting intercropping, mainly due to barriers such as theoretical and practical knowledge gaps, issues relating to machinery, and the processing and marketing of products. The reservations among some participants may stem from the fact that the value chain for intercropped products (both upstream and downstream) is not well developed (yet) in Sweden. We are hoping that the recently initiated multi-actor co-innovation case study in Sweden will address these participants’ concerns and provide potential solutions.
The newsletter was written by Raj Chongtham and Linda Groot Nibbelink from SLU.