Exploring sustainable and diversified crop production systems for the North China Plain

Summary

Intensive cereal-based cropping systems dominate croplands in many regions worldwide, compromising the socio-economic, nutritional, and environmental sustainability of agricultural systems. This research develops a systematic methodological framework to explore sustainable and diversified crop production systems at both field and farm scales in intensified farming regions. The framework integrates data-driven and modeling approaches to optimize crop management and/or diversify crop plans, aiming to enhance multi-attribute sustainability. Applied in the North China Plain, the study demonstrates that combining crop diversification with management optimization can improve overall benefits while reducing trade-off intensities across multiple conflicting sustainability objectives compared to the current dominant system. This framework provides an efficient tool to guide stakeholders in understanding the potential and trade-offs of improving crop production sustainability in various farming regions.