Summary
This narrative review synthesises intercropping practices across Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions, examining how simultaneous cultivation of multiple crop species enhances agricultural diversification, agroecosystem resilience, and sustainability. The authors evaluate trade-offs including production gains, soil health improvements, and reduced external input dependency against resource competition, pest management complexity, and technical integration challenges. The work highlights intercropping as a strategy aligned with SDG 2, whilst identifying region-specific barriers to adoption including regulatory constraints and agronomic complexity.
Regional applicability
The review covers Southern European Mediterranean systems (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece) directly relevant to United Kingdom horticultural and temperate farming contexts, though the UK's cooler climate and different crop portfolio mean transferability of specific crop combinations is limited. The review's emphasis on reducing external inputs and enhancing soil health aligns with UK agricultural policy priorities, but implementation would require adaptation to UK temperate conditions and existing farming infrastructure.
Key measures
Crop production yields, crop quality, soil quality indicators, soil microbiome composition, weed and pest incidence, disease pressure, nutrient availability, pesticide requirement, external input dependency.
Outcomes reported
The review evaluated intercropping practices across Southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, examining effects on crop production and quality, soil quality and microbiome, weed and pest proliferation, and resource competition between species. It synthesised advantages, disadvantages, and technical challenges of diversified cropping systems in Mediterranean regions.
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