Cropping and Farming Systems

Cropping systems can be based on a single crop (monoculture) or many (polyculture), including intercrops and rotations. Intercrops are rarely used in Western agriculture although they offer several advantages (better use of resources, improved nutrient cycling) that are quantified by the Land Equivalent Ratio (LER). Agroforestry systems are a case of intercrop in which trees provide protection to the soil, improve the crop nutrient balance, and can generate additional useful products. Rotations involve crop diversification in time and have many advantages over monoculture (control of weeds, pests, and diseases, improved nutrition, risk diversification). Farming systems have interlinked components of inputs and outputs managed to achieve economic agricultural production to meet enterprise and/or household requirements. Cropping and farming systems can provide other ecosystem services beyond the production of food or other products.