Sustainable agriculture through legume-cereal intercropping
The LEGUMINOSE project will provide science-based, farmer-led, and economically viable systems and techniques for legume-based intercropping.
What?
Legume-cereal intercropping is an agricultural technique where legume crops (such as beans or peas) are planted alongside cereal crops (such as wheat or barley) in the same field.
Why?
Intercropping provides multiple benefits for sustainable agriculture:
Improves soil health and resilience to stresses
Increases biodiversity
Maximizes land productivity
Reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers
Reduces the carbon footprint of arable farming
Bridging across disciplines and nation borders to provide innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture.
21 organizations from 10 countries
We bring together agronomists, soil microbiologists, plant biologists, geoscientists, computer scientists, policy and communication experts to tackle pressing issues in the agri-food sector and make the most of our land in a sustainable manner.
News and events
Monitoring crop pests in intercropped fields
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From field to future: The impact of living labs
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LEGUMINOSE project meeting in Spain
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What does sustainable agriculture research look like?
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Promoting sustainable agriculture practices at Agro Park 2024
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An alternative to monoculture: Intercropping
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Intercropping: a beacon of hope for sustainable agriculture
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We can learn from the past to make agriculture more sustainable
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Tweets by @Leguminose_EU
Like our human gut, the soil also has a delicate microbiome. If poorly managed, the soil will protest, too!
Watch our... #TeamLEGUMINOSE soil specialist Magdalena Frąc introduce herself and the project.
Health for both soil and plants 🌱
#TeamLEGUMINOSE member Magdalena Frąc, professor at the Polish Academy of ...Sciences is taking a close look at the changes in the microbiome triggered by #intercropping.
What effect does intercropping have on pests and diseases? We are conducting thorough analyses to find out.
Read our ...latest blog post to learn more about our recent pest assessment in Zaragoza, Spain 👇
Monitoring crop pests in intercropped fields
Discover the collaborative efforts of the LEGUMINOSE project as the researchers are monitoring crop pests and diseases in intercropped fields.
www.leguminose.eu
Norman, what is your vision for the future of agriculture?
Watch his answer below.
#TeamLEGUMINOSE
Plant roots mysteriously pulsate and we don't know exactly why. But finding out could change the way we grow things.
...Check out the article by @ConversationUK 👇
Plant roots mysteriously pulsate and we don’t know why – but finding out could change the way we...
Scientists are still trying to puzzle out strange oscillations in plant root genes,
theconversation.com
A soil scientist through-and-through.
Norman Gentsch is excited to learn about the microbial changes in intercrops.
...#TeamLEGUMINOSE
Who is buying this?
A major concern for farmers using intercropping is the end user. Currently, there is no market for... intercropped products.
Norman Gentsch explains this challenge.
#TeamLEGUMINOSE
🌱 From field to future
Farmers & researchers are working together to test sustainable farming practices like ...legume-cereal intercropping.
Learn more about the benefits of living labs and the 180 LEGUMINOSE living labs across Europe and beyond 👇
From field to future: The impact of living labs
Living labs bridge research and practise for sustainable agriculture solutions.
www.leguminose.eu
“We need to have demonstration farms”
Within our project, many farmers are participating in the research by trying... intercropping in their own fields. This can show other farmers the benefits of the approach.
Norman Gentsch from #TeamLEGUMINOSE explains this idea.