Designing strip cropping systems in the Netherlands

Summary

Strip intercropping, a form of crop diversification where several crops are grown adjacent to each other in multi-row strips, can enhance ecosystem services while maintaining yield, with the advantage of adjustable strip widths based on current machinery. When this research began in 2020, the Dutch government just introduced strip cropping as an innovative farming practice for the transition towards more circular and sustainable agriculture. But its adoption in the Netherlands has been hindered by a lack of actionable knowledge. This research aims to generate and bring together scientific and practical knowledge to support strip cropping implementation by integrating a design framework, field observations, and learning from farmers’ experiences.

An iterative six-step design framework was developed to systematically generate and evaluate strip cropping plans. Field experiments with cabbage and other arable crops revealed that strip cropping maintains yield and enhances pest control. Overall, strip cropping showed significant positive effects on yield and revenue compared to monoculture, despite limited positive effects from the neighboring crops. Interviews with Dutch strip cropping frontrunner farmers gave insight on the differences and similarities in farmers’ decision-making upon strip cropping uptake, providing focal points for training new generation of strip cropping farmers in the Netherlands and potentially beyond.