Summary
This narrative review synthesises published research on the combined application of crop rotation and diversification strategies — including intercropping, relay cropping, cover cropping, and agroforestry — and their interactive effects on soil health and agricultural productivity. The authors argue that temporal diversity from rotation and spatial diversity from diversification produce synergistic benefits exceeding those of either practice alone, particularly with respect to soil organic matter accumulation, nutrient cycling, and biological pest suppression. The review is likely broad in geographic and crop system scope, drawing on international literature to support recommendations for sustainable farming system design.
UK applicability
Although this review draws on international literature and is not UK-specific, its findings on crop rotation and diversification are highly applicable to UK arable systems, where Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) schemes and post-Brexit agricultural policy increasingly incentivise rotational diversity and cover cropping as tools for soil health improvement.
Key measures
Soil organic carbon (SOC); soil aggregate stability; nutrient use efficiency; crop yield; microbial diversity indices; pest and disease incidence
Outcomes reported
The review examines how combined crop rotation and diversification strategies affect soil health indicators, nutrient cycling, organic matter accumulation, pest and disease suppression, and overall farm productivity. It synthesises evidence on synergistic effects when these practices are implemented together versus in isolation.
Topic tags
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