Strip cropping

• Strip cropping contributes to biodiversity and benefits insects and birds, among other animals.
• No loss of productive soil and no need to switch out crops.
• Strip cropping can often be implemented using machines the farmer already utilises.
• It may lead to higher yields.
• Strip cropping lowers the risk of diseases and pests causing significant damage, and results in an increase in natural pest control.
• Strip cropping is a way of spreading risks. It reduces the risk of significant damage due to extreme weather as a result of climate change.
• Strips of grass clover or alfalfa can serve as direct green manures.
• Strip cropping makes for a more varied and aesthetically pleasing landscape.
• Strip cropping reduces the risk of slope and wind erosion.

• Strip cropping is more complex to implement and requires more knowledge and expertise on the part of the grower.
• Management may be less efficient in case of strip cropping. Examples include soil tillage, fertilisation, irrigation and spraying.
• Strip cropping is difficult to implement on remote (rented) plots.
• Machines are currently designed for monocultures. These machines are more difficult to use efficiently for strip cropping, since the cultivation area for each crop is smaller. Moreover, large machines take longer to harvest plots used for strip cropping, which could present issues, especially in crops with short harvest times, such as cereals.
• In some cases, strip cropping may actually lead to pests like mice if natural pest control cannot sufficiently develop in the surrounding landscape.

Alley cropping is a cultivation system in which trees and bushes are combined with (annual) crops or livestock farming on the same plot. An example of alley cropping is the combination of fruit and nut trees and arable crops. Strip cropping may include a specific method of alley cropping in which the strips of trees are far narrower than the strips of crops.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a sustainable method of disease and pest prevention and control. This method comprises five pillars of interconnected measures.

One of these pillars is crop diversity in both space and time. For example, instead of alternating the cultivation of potatoes and grass annually, the farmer can switch to growing potatoes and grass in strips. Grass is not susceptible to potato late blight, and, since grass is a low crop that allows room for the wind, the potatoes are less likely to fall victim to blight. This makes strip cropping a possible IPM approach for farmers.

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  Integrated Crop Management (ICM)

In circular agriculture, farmers aim to achieve a closed cycle and optimally use all biomass. The residual flows of one chain are used as raw materials by another. An example of this is using some strips for food crops, while others are used as green manures or animal feed.

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  Circular agrofood system

The required width of the strips is generally determined by the greatest width of the machines used. Narrower strips offer greater benefits, but also pose challenges. Sprayer boom width is often the deciding factor for conventional farmers (a maximum of 27 metres). Narrower strips often work well for organic farmers.

A rest crop, such as grass or wheat, pairs well with a productive crop, such as potatoes or cabbage. Using crops with different harvesting times appears to be beneficial. WUR is also researching the combination of different rest crops.

That depends on the strip cropping subject. The narrower the strips, the smaller the machines required to work the land. Research is being conducted into the possibilities of using autonomous robots in the field.

The yield of strip cropping may exceed that of monocultures, especially if narrow strips are used. Moreover, strip cropping leads to stable harvests and may be subject to other financial benefits, such as EU subsidies or lower lease prices. The profitability of strip cropping heavily depends on the extra labour and mechanisation required, as well as the farmers’ own objectives.