Combination of observational and functional trait-based approaches in developing a polyculture design tool
Pavlo Ardanov, Annette Piorr, Alexandra Doernberg, Sonja Brodt, Jennifer B. Lauruol, Iryna Kazakova, Valentyna Movchan, Lucas A. Garibaldi
Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
Urban Farm DB summary
This study assessed information from multiple sources to design diversified cropping systems with vegetables and spice crops for cold temperate climates, integrating trait and observational data from databases, farmer surveys, and literature reviews. While farmers achieved medium to good levels of their main goals, they failed to reach desired multifunctionality with their polycultures. None of the individual data sources provided a comprehensive dataset, but combining them increased crop combination options while also increasing planning and management complexity.