Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, 120 Cedar Street, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
Cornell University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
J Econ Entomol. 2022 Oct 12;115(5):1350-1362. doi: 10.1093/jee/toac045.
To combat climate change, farmers must innovate through ecological intensification to boost food production, increase resilience to weather extremes, and shrink the carbon footprint of agriculture. Intercropping (where alternative crops or noncrop plants are integrated with cash crops) can strengthen and stabilize agroecosystems under climate change by improving resource use efficiency, enhancing soil water holding capacity, and increasing the diversity and quality of habitat for beneficial insects that provide pollination services and natural pest control. Despite these benefits, intercropping has yet to be widely adopted due to perceived risks and challenges including decreased crop yield, increased management complexity, a steep learning curve for successful management, and increased susceptibility to pests. Here, we explore the major benefits of intercropping in agricultural systems for pest control and climate resilience reported in 24 meta-analyses, while addressing risks and barriers to implementation. Most studies demonstrate clear benefits of intercropping for weed, pathogen, insect pest control, relative yield, and gross profitability. However, relatively few studies document ecosystem services conferred by intercrops alongside labor costs, which are key to economic sustainability for farmers. In addition to clearer demonstrations of the economic viability of intercropping, farmers also need strong technical and financial support during the adoption process to help them troubleshoot the site-specific complexities and challenges of managing polycultures. Ecological intensification of agriculture requires a more strategic approach than simplified production systems and is not without risks and challenges. Calibrating incentive programs to reduce financial burdens of risk for farmers could promote more widespread adoption of intercropping.
为了应对气候变化，农民必须通过生态强化来创新，以提高粮食产量，增强对极端天气的抵御能力，并减少农业的碳足迹。间作（将替代作物或非作物植物与经济作物集成）可以通过提高资源利用效率、增强土壤持水能力以及增加为授粉服务和自然防治病虫害的有益昆虫的栖息地多样性和质量，来加强和稳定气候变化下的农业生态系统。尽管有这些好处，但由于人们认为间作存在减产、管理复杂性增加、成功管理的学习曲线陡峭以及对病虫害的易感性增加等风险和挑战，间作尚未得到广泛采用。在这里，我们探讨了 24 项荟萃分析中报告的间作对农业系统病虫害防治和气候适应能力的主要好处，同时解决了实施过程中的风险和障碍。大多数研究表明，间作对杂草、病原体、昆虫害虫防治、相对产量和总利润有明显的好处。然而，相对较少的研究记录了间作带来的生态系统服务，以及劳动力成本，这对农民的经济可持续性至关重要。除了更清楚地展示间作的经济可行性外，农民在采用过程中还需要强有力的技术和财务支持，以帮助他们解决管理多作物的特定地点的复杂性和挑战。农业的生态强化需要比简化的生产系统更具战略性，而且并非没有风险和挑战。校准激励计划以减轻农民的风险财务负担可以促进间作的更广泛采用。
