WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS
A quantitative synthesis of global horticultural intercropping experiments estimated mean land equivalent ratio 1.41, with more than 90% of reported comparisons exceeding 1. Additive mixtures and nitrogen-fixing or tree-inclusive combinations were particularly productive; reported benefits were smaller where insecticides were used.
WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ
Diverse productive landscapes can generate more combined output per unit land than monocultures, but the performance unit is combined yield, not automatically biodiversity, soil restoration or farm profitability.
CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY
Experimental literature mixes designs and geography; land equivalent ratio is not net profit or a conservation outcome. Publication and management-selection biases remain possible.
SOURCE
Scaloppi et al. · Agronomy for Sustainable Development (3 Nov 2026)
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