Diversification

Diversification on farms, gardens, forests, rangelands, and any managed ecosystem can add resilience to perturbations, including the mother of all disruptions, climate change.  Floods, droughts, freak frosts, invading weeds and diseases, insect pests reproducing faster, pollinators out of sync with flowering, erratic markets . . . these are all climate change impacts occurring right now, and increasing in frequency and extent.  Greater biodiversity can soften the blow of these impacts, supported by extensive scientific research and farmers’ experience.

Strip cropping in Minnesota by farmer Jim Nichols. Farm Journal, July 12 2018

The venerable crop rotation is a familiar type of diversification, a mixing of species in time.  Diversification in space, such as growing two or more crops in close association or “intercropping,” is less familiar to modern industrial farmers.  However, its benefits have been apparent to millions of small growers around the world for centuries, and today more and more large, mechanized producers are trying it.  These not only help to adapt to the unpredictability of climate change, they can also mitigate against climate change by sequestering more carbon and reducing inputs.

My own research has focused on disease control through intercropping, which may be a valuable tool as pathogens move into new areas with climate change.

Many forms of diversification exist, such as:

Relay cropping:  Planting a second crop into a crop before harvest.

Strip cropping:  Two or more crops are alternated in strips of several rows.  Historically used in contour planting for erosion control in U.S.  (see photo above)

Solar corridors:  Wider spacing of corn for increased yield, with a second crop planted in the  space created.

Mixed-species cover crops:  Planting land during fallow periods with diverse species

Silvopastoralism:  Combining trees with livestock.  (Ranked the #9 method for reducing greenhouse gases by Project Drawdown)

Agroforestry:  Combining trees with crops.  (Ranked #17 by Project Drawdown)