On the island of Salling in Denmark, farmer Jens Peder is navigating the transition towards a more regenerative farming system, while keeping a close eye on the realities of farm economics. His work offers a practical example of legume–cereal intercropping in Denmark.
Having taken over his family farm, which dates back to 1910, Jens Peder is combining tradition with experimentation. His approach centres on no-till practices and a gradual shift towards regenerative agriculture, where soil health, biodiversity, and profitability must all align.
Balancing these priorities is not straightforward. Alongside maintaining a viable financial bottom line, Jens Peder is working to meet environmental requirements and emerging biodiversity goals, all while reducing reliance on plant protection products.
Testing legume-cereal intercropping in Denmark
As part of the LEGUMINOSE living labs, he is testing legume–cereal intercropping in Denmark as a way to support this balance. His main trials focus on peas and oats, alongside additional experiments with faba beans and chickpeas grown together with oats.
In his fields, the results are promising. Combining crops such as oats and faba beans creates strong competition against weeds, even without the use of herbicides. The different species complement each other in growth, with oats providing structural support and helping stabilise yields across the field.
Challenges beyond the field
At the same time, Jens Peder is clear about the practical barriers: Mixed crops remain difficult to market. Without livestock to use the harvest on-farm, selling requires separating the crops. This is an expensive process that does not necessarily increase their value. Without reliable market channels, taking the risk at scale is simply not feasible.
Still, his advice to other farmers is pragmatic: Start small. Test it on a small area. Observe how it performs under your own conditions.
For Jens Peder, intercropping is not a silver bullet, but part of a gradual transition towards more resilient systems.
His experience reflects both the potential and the limitations of these systems today, from improved weed control to the ongoing challenge of finding viable markets.
Watch the video to hear directly from Jens Peder about why he is testing intercropping, what he has observed so far, and how he approaches these decisions on his farm.