Rethinking crop rotations in light of food requirements and climate change
Two studies conducted by researchers at the University of Liège, in collaboration with the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) and Michigan State University (USA), focusing on the design of crop rotations that combine environmental sustainability, healthy nutrition and adaptation to climate change, show that systems integrating crops and livestock increase the capacity for adaptation to climate change - notably through resilience to extreme weather events - but also for mitigation, through carbon sequestration and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
C
rop rotation, the earliest practices of which date back to the Middle Ages, involves alternating different plant species on the same agricultural plot from one year to the next, according to a planned sequence. This practice, which is one of the pillars of sustainable agronomy, improves soil fertility, reduces the pressure from diseases and pests, and limits the use of chemical inputs. Two complementary studies conducted by scientists at the University of Liège (Faculties of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech and the Faculty of Sciences) have examined the design of agricultural systems capable of feeding populations through healthy and sustainable diets, whilst adapting to future climate uncertainties. These studies provide concrete solutions that can be applied at the Walloon level.
Co-designing crop rotations linked to human nutrition
“When setting up our first project, we co-designed models for diversified crop rotations in Belgium with farmers and experts from various disciplines,” explains Caroline De Clerck, an agronomist at the Faculty of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech. An optimisation process was then developed to adapt these rotations to target diets that are both healthy for humans and sustainable for the environment, all in line with the recommendations of the EAT-Lancet Commission. This approach seeks in particular to limit imports and exports of food and animal feed, whilst making the best possible use of crop by-products on farms.
Simulating the performance of these crop rotations under climate scenarios
The researchers then compared three crop rotations from the initial study: a ‘business-as-usual’ scenario focused on cash crops, a vegan scenario excluding all livestock farming, and an integrated crop-livestock system including temporary grassland. These rotations were simulated across the whole of Wallonia, under ten distinct climate change scenarios.
"The results indicate that integrated crop-livestock systems demonstrate greater stability and resilience in the face of extreme weather events," explains Mathieu Delandmeter, a PhD in agronomy from Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech. They also help reduce nitrate leaching and mitigate climate change, thanks to carbon sequestration in the soil and reduced greenhouse gas emissions—an advantage not offered by crop rotations focused solely on arable crops or on farming without livestock.
Beyond mere productivity
One of the contributions of these two studies lies in the choice of indicators assessed. Unlike many agronomic studies that focus primarily on productivity, this research employs simulation models capable of simultaneously accounting for yield stability, greenhouse gas emissions, carbon storage and water quality. The cropping models used also allow for the integration of varied soil-climate contexts (which combine soil and climate dimensions), whereas conventional material-flow approaches are limited to national statistics and cannot simulate the effects of climate change. The originality of the approach developed in the article published in Global Change Biology also lies in the use of the model to identify precisely how different agricultural systems withstand extreme weather events such as droughts or floods – such events are predicted to increase in intensity and frequency in the future in Wallonia, as demonstrated in the article.
The crop rotations developed by these scientists are realistic for practical implementation in Wallonia. They have, in fact, been tested in the field since November 2020 at the experimental farm on the Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech campus, as part of the long-term EcoFoodSystem experiment.
This work forms part of a broader discussion on the transition of food systems in Europe. It demonstrates that the design of diversified crop rotations, conceived in relation to people’s diets, can reconcile several seemingly contradictory objectives: feeding people, preserving the environment and adapting to climate change. The approach of integrating crop and livestock farming therefore deserves serious consideration in Walloon and European agricultural policies.
Scientific references
- De Clerck C., Desmarez T., Delandmeter M., de Faccio Carvalho P.C., Dumont B. & Bindelle J. Designing crop rotations to support sustainable and healthy diets, Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 2026. DOI 10.1007/s13593-026-01084-z
- Delandmeter M., Basso B., Fettweis X., Lacroix C., Aubry P., Bindelle J. & Dumont B., Livestock Integration Into Cropping Systems Enhances Their Climate Change Resistance and Mitigation While Reducing Their Environmental Impacts, Global Change Biology, 2026. DOI 10.1111/gcb.70765
