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Land use modelling needs to better account for multiple cropping to inform pathways for sustainable agriculture

Waha, Katharina ; Folberth, Christian ; Biemans, Hester ; Boere, Esther ; Bondeau, Alberte ; Hartley, Andrew J. ; Hoogenboom, Gerrit ; Jaegermeyr, Jonas ; Liu, Yuan and Mathison, Camilla , et al. (2025) In Communications Earth and Environment 6(1).
Abstract

Multiple cropping, the simultaneous cultivation of several crops in space or time, is a global practice essential for intensifying and diversifying agriculture. Despite its substantial impact on environmental and socioeconomic outcomes of farming, multiple cropping is hardly accounted for in assessments of global food production, sustainability, and climate impacts. Such studies, often relying on modelling of cropping systems, land use change, and eventually the Earth system, are of growing importance in decision-making and policymaking. However, they primarily assume monocropping, neglecting carryover effects between crops and their implications for land use. This limitation compromises the representativeness of these studies and the... (More)

Multiple cropping, the simultaneous cultivation of several crops in space or time, is a global practice essential for intensifying and diversifying agriculture. Despite its substantial impact on environmental and socioeconomic outcomes of farming, multiple cropping is hardly accounted for in assessments of global food production, sustainability, and climate impacts. Such studies, often relying on modelling of cropping systems, land use change, and eventually the Earth system, are of growing importance in decision-making and policymaking. However, they primarily assume monocropping, neglecting carryover effects between crops and their implications for land use. This limitation compromises the representativeness of these studies and the conclusions they draw, essentially overlooking a substantial option space for sustainable intensification, nature-based solutions, and resulting land-atmosphere feedback. Herein, we outline the relevance of multiple cropping, reflect on its consideration in land-use models, and identify development requirements to enhance their inclusion in informing policymaking for sustainable food systems.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Communications Earth and Environment
volume
6
issue
1
article number
756
publisher
Springer Nature
external identifiers
  • scopus:105016883930
ISSN
2662-4435
DOI
10.1038/s43247-025-02724-0
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
bed9a549-7b82-46c0-bf7f-8c2733966535
date added to LUP
2025-11-21 15:51:58
date last changed
2025-11-24 09:03:06
@article{bed9a549-7b82-46c0-bf7f-8c2733966535,
  abstract     = {{<p>Multiple cropping, the simultaneous cultivation of several crops in space or time, is a global practice essential for intensifying and diversifying agriculture. Despite its substantial impact on environmental and socioeconomic outcomes of farming, multiple cropping is hardly accounted for in assessments of global food production, sustainability, and climate impacts. Such studies, often relying on modelling of cropping systems, land use change, and eventually the Earth system, are of growing importance in decision-making and policymaking. However, they primarily assume monocropping, neglecting carryover effects between crops and their implications for land use. This limitation compromises the representativeness of these studies and the conclusions they draw, essentially overlooking a substantial option space for sustainable intensification, nature-based solutions, and resulting land-atmosphere feedback. Herein, we outline the relevance of multiple cropping, reflect on its consideration in land-use models, and identify development requirements to enhance their inclusion in informing policymaking for sustainable food systems.</p>}},
  author       = {{Waha, Katharina and Folberth, Christian and Biemans, Hester and Boere, Esther and Bondeau, Alberte and Hartley, Andrew J. and Hoogenboom, Gerrit and Jaegermeyr, Jonas and Liu, Yuan and Mathison, Camilla and Müller, Christoph and Nkwasa, Albert and Olin, Stefan and Ruane, Alex C. and De Vos, Koen and White, Jeffrey W. and Williams, Karina and Yu, Qiangyi}},
  issn         = {{2662-4435}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Springer Nature}},
  series       = {{Communications Earth and Environment}},
  title        = {{Land use modelling needs to better account for multiple cropping to inform pathways for sustainable agriculture}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02724-0}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s43247-025-02724-0}},
  volume       = {{6}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}