Can organic vegetable production be intensified in a sustainable way? Implications for designs of cropping systems from a 5-year field experiment

Summary

Sustainable intensification in organic farming increases productivity, without expanding land use, while ensuring environmental sustainability. We conducted a 5-year field trial, comparing two organic systems, a sustainable intensified (SI), using multiple crops per season, cover crops, plant-based fertilizers and non-inversion tillage; and common practice (CP), with one crop per season, limited cover crops, animal-based fertilizers and ploughing.