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MINI REVIEW article
Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Crop Biology and Sustainability
Volume 9 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1547879
This article is part of the Research TopicIntegration of Legume Intercropping into Sustainable Farming Systems for Nitrogen Fixation, Soil Health, and Climate ResilienceView all 7 articles
Enhancing Ecosystem Services (ES) in Agriculture: The Special Role of Legume Intercropping
Provisionally accepted
Metaxia Kokkini1*
Ioannis Gazoulis1,2
Marios Danaskos1Vasiliki Kontogeorgou1
PANAGIOTIS KANATAS2
Ilias Travlos1*- 1Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- 2Department of Crop Production Science, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Patras, Messolonghi, Greece
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Sustainable agriculture confronts significant challenges such as soil degradation, intensification of agricultural production, and the impact of climate change. Legume intercropping is an "underestimated" cultural practice that harnesses the unique ecosystem services of legumes to enhance resilience and productivity of cropping systems. Legumes contribute to biodiversity by supporting beneficial insects, including pollinators, which can enhance crop productivity. Additionally, through nitrogen fixation, legumes reduce synthetic fertilizer inputs, promote efficient nutrient cycling, and improve soil health. The introduction of legumes in intercropping schemes has beneficial effects on soil texture, microbial diversity, water retention, crop growth, and yield. This cultural practice also contributes to reduced emissions of greenhouse gases, carbon sequestration, and lower pesticide inputs. In addition, legume intercropping promotes biodiversity while facilitating natural pest control and weed suppression. Overall, the inclusion of legumes in intercropping schemes and diversified cropping systems can support food security and mitigate environmental risks related to climate change.
Keywords: legumes, ecosystem services, Biodiversity, Nitrogen Fixation, climate adaptation, Pollination
Received: 18 Dec 2024; Accepted: 14 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kokkini, Gazoulis, Danaskos, Kontogeorgou, KANATAS and Travlos. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Metaxia Kokkini, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Ilias Travlos, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.