Crop rotations synergize yield, nutrition, and revenue: a meta-analysis
Shingirai Mudare, Jingying Jing, David Makowski, Xueqing He, Zhengyuan Liang, Zoe Sims, Thomas Cherico Wanger, David Tilman, Fusuo Zhang, Wen‐Feng Cong
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. Crop diversification is a promising strategy to enhance global food security, yet potential trade-offs between yields and nutritional outcomes remain unclear. This global synthesis reveals that transitioning from monoculture to crop rotation consistently boosts total yield, nutritional quality, and revenue by 14–27%, with win-win outcomes significantly outweighing trade-offs across major agricultural regions.