Intercropping strategies for Europe

Summary in the original language of the document

In addition to the production of grains rich in protein, grain legumes provide several ‘ecological services’ well suited to the development of sustainable agro-ecosystems. Among these services, N entry to the system via biological N2 fixation and soil fertility building have received most of the attention. However in a system perspective attention should also be paid to others services such as break-crop effect, erosion protection, increasing biodiversity. It is discussed how intercropping can be seen as a cropping strategy worth considering to fullfill the demands mentioned above.