PO11 - Better protection for ecosystems and more use of Green Infrastructure

Intercropping is the practice of growing two or more crops’ species simultaneously in the same field. The most common goal of intercropping is to produce a greater yield on a given piece of land by making use of resources that would otherwise not be utilised by a single crop. Examples of intercropping strategies are planting a deep-rooted crop with a shallow-rooted crop, or planting a tall crop with a shorter crop that requires partial shade...

Strip cropping is a farming method used when a slope is too steep or too long, or otherwise, when one does not have an alternative method of preventing soil erosion. It alternates strips of closely sown crops which cover fully the soil when growing such as hay, wheat, or other small grains with strips of row crops, such as corn, soybeans, cotton, or sugar beets. This technique helps to stop soil...

Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar or different types, species, or families of crops in the same area in sequential seasons. Judiciously applied (i.e. selecting a suitable crop) crop rotation can improve soil structure and fertility by alternating deep-rooted and shallow-rooted plants. In turn, this enhances the soil’s sponge-like behaviour by improving structural properties, fostering root-driven...