Grain legumes grow much better intercropped with cereals than in monoculture. The land use efficiency is increased, risk of yield loss is buffered. With the results of our trials we could advise farmers about cultivation techniques and the positive effect of intercropping legumes, especially peas and barley. The most important outcome of the project was the increase of the area of domestically grown protein from 50 to 500 hectares in Switzerland. Thanks to our efforts, grain companies now buy the harvest from cereal/protein legumes intercropping, which they refused before due to the effort to separate the components.
The extension service takes place at farmer courses, field days and individual farmer consultancy. Furthermore we could convince the Agricultural Ministry to support intercropping with a slight change of the rules for direct payment (grain legumes content in harvest was reduced from 50 to 30 percent).
Bio Suisse
Fachkommission Ackerkulturen Bio Suisse
