Scope

The Agroecological Cropping Systems specialty section of Frontiers in Agronomy, publishes high-quality research focusing on agroecology as ecological concepts and principles interacting with agronomic techniques, to further the design, the assessment of performances and the management of innovative and sustainable cropping systems.

Areas covered by this section include, but are not limited to:

•              Innovative agroecological practices to enhance efficiency and productivity of available resources

•              Cropping systems technics (integrated soil-crop dimension) for sustainable management

•              Exploring the intersection between agronomic, social, and ecological/environmental aspects to manage food & agricultural systems

•              Working towards fair and sustainable food systems with a production based on agroecological principles, with a strong emphasis on human and social values

•              Low pesticide use and towards a pesticide-free agriculture

•              Natural-based solutions based on ecological processes, function, and services to enhance agricultural production

•              Technology based solutions (e.g. precision agriculture, sensors continuous data, etc.)

•              Optimizing diversity of species (cash and forage crops) and genetic resources

•              Sustainable cropping systems to increase biodiversity and environmental protection

•              Crop diversification in time, i.e. crop successions, long-term rotation

•              Crop diversification in space, i.e. intercropping and agroforestry systems

•              Cover crops, i.e. multi-services cover crops during fallow periods

•              Cropping system supporting ecosystem services from the field level

•              Water and nutrient use efficiency and management

•              Low input cropping systems

•              Risks and opportunities for organic farming

•              Cropping systems models (soil-crop models functioning at the medium and long-term for rotations and crop successions, and simulating fallow period with residues management)

•              Modelling climate change impacts of cropping systems and agroecological solutions of adaptation/mitigation

•              Multicriteria assessment of cropping systems for a sustainable agriculture

We seek to optimise the interactions in time and space between plants (species at the crop cover level), soil, and components of agroecosystems at the field level. Research focusing on policy or the broader constraints, thresholds, and opportunities for enhancing levels of sustainability and production at the food system level should be submitted to our sister journal Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems.

Submission

Copyright Statement