Despite the fact that intercropping has ancient roots, it is only more recently that institutional attention has been paid to this growing method. The majority of formal research to date focuses on large-scale, rural production. Findings show that intercropping has both advantages and disadvantages, which are described in the table below.
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However, the majority of issues related to intercropping can be overcome with proactive management, albeit harvesting without a machine is a great burden to producers, making the integration of intercropping on a large-scale difficult. Nonetheless, new research in this area is being conducted, and innovative, modular equipment is being developed in order to better facilitate the use of intercropping techniques.
Lithourgidis, A.; Dordas, C.; Damalas, C. A.; Vlachostergios, D.N. (2011, April) Annual intercrops: An alternative pathway for sustainable agriculture. Australian Journal of Crop Science, 5(4) Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224934832_Annual_intercrops_An_alternative_pathway_for_sustainable_agriculture
Mousavi, S. R.; Eskandari, H. (2011, January). A General Overview on Intercropping and Its Advantages in Sustainable Agriculture. Applied Environmental Biological Sciences. 1(11). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220000362_A_General_Overview_on_Intercropping_and_Its_Advantages_in_Sustainable_Agriculture
Sullivan, P. (1998, November). Intercropping Principles and Production Practices. Agronomy Systems Guide. Retrieved from http://www.iatp.org/files/Intercropping_Principles_and_Production_Practi.htm
Wiley, R.W. and Rao, R.M. (1980, April) A Competitive Ratio for Quantifying Competition Between Intercrops. Experimental Agriculture, 16(02). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/231898671_A_Competitive_Ratio_for_Quantifying_Competition_Between_Intercrops
Zeman, F. (2012) Metropolitan sustainability: understanding and improving the urban environment. Oxford, Cambridge, Philadelphia, Delhi: Woodhead Publishing Limited