Crop rotations synergize yield, nutrition, and revenue: a meta-analysis.

Abstract

Increasing agricultural yields through crop diversification may help achieve food and nutrition security. However, the benefits of a transition from monoculture to crop rotation may be reduced if trade-offs exist between yields, dietary energy, nutrients, and revenue. Here, we synthesize 3663 paired field-trial yield observations (1980-2024) and show that globally, crop rotation increased subsequent crop yield, with legume pre-crops outperforming non-legume pre-crops (23% and 16% average increases, respectively). Considering the entire sequence (i.e., pre-crop plus main crop), rotations increased total yields, dietary energy, protein, iron, magnesium, zinc, and revenue by 14-27% relative to continuous monoculture. Notably, win-win relationships among yield, nutrition, and revenue were consistently higher (33-54%) than trade-offs. Different high-performing crop rotations have been identified for several major agricultural production regions worldwide. These findings establish crop rotations as a strategic pathway to enhance synergies among agricultural yields, nutrition, and revenue compared to monoculture, offering scalable solutions for sustainable intensification.