Transformation towards sustainable agriculture requires the design of radically new future farming systems that meet the sustainability objectives for a range of soils, climates, cultures, and local conditions. The optimum design will vary between locations, resulting in a mosaic of optimized systems. We focus on harvesting the mosaic of solutions and innovations that already exist on the ground. We aim to use the Global Network of Lighthouse Farms to gain insights into the multiple pathways of transition toward a more sustainable state.</p>
<p>One of the Lighthouse Farms is located in the Netherlands, where we work with strip intercropping systems. Strip cropping, a form of intercropping where two or more crops are grown adjacent to one another in long and narrow multi-row strips, has been shown to deliver a greater range of ecosystem services compared to sole crop references due to increased interspecific crop interactions, spatio-temporal niche differentiation, and higher in-field habitat diversity. The possibility to adjust the strip width to the working width of farmers' existing machines gives strip cropping of cash crops an important implementation advantage over other intercropping practices.</p>
<p>Using strip cropping and the case studies on several farms in the Netherlands, we show how co-innovation between science and practitioners is necessary and useful for, together, moving towards more sustainable systems.