Original title: High potential contribution of intercropping to soybean and maize self-sufficiency in Europe
IntercroppingGrowing two or more crop species together on the same land. means growing two crops together on the same land. This study estimates how much soybean and maize the European Union could produce by intercropping them, assuming four years between returns to the same land. At the studied production levels, intercrops would need 20–21% less land than growing the crops separately. But the land savings depend on the intercrop producing more soybean per hectare than half a hectare of sole-grown soybeans.
Imagine packing a lunchbox with food for two people. The challenge is fitting enough of both people’s meals into the same limited space. In this paper, the lunchbox is farmland, and growing maize and soybeans together is a way to produce both crops while using less land than keeping them in separate fields.
Europe depends on soybean imports, and expanding soybean fields can compete for land with maize and other crops. Growing maize and soybeans together could raise local supplies of both while using less land than separate fields would require.
These are estimates, not evidence that the projected production has been achieved in practice. The land-saving result depends on intercrops producing more soybean per hectare than half a hectare of sole-grown soybean, and the study notes that geographic differences in sole-crop yields matter. The abstract does not establish how adoption, costs, or other practical barriers would affect implementation.
Ask anything about this paper. Answers come from its abstract, and say so when the abstract doesn't cover your question.
High potential contribution of intercropping to soybean and maize self-sufficiency in Europe — Mathilde Chen, Nicolas Guilpart, David Makowski — Nature Communications — doi:10.1038/s41467-026-78206-4
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.