Multiple ecosystem services from field margin vegetation for ecological sustainability in agriculture: scientific evidence and knowledge gaps

Abstract

BackgroundField margin and non-crop vegetation in agricultural systems are potential ecosystem services providers because they offer semi-natural habitats for both below and above ground animal groups such as soil organisms, small mammals, birds and arthropods that are service supplying units. They are considered as a target area for enhancing farm biodiversity.MethodologyTo explore the multiple potential benefits of these semi-natural habitats and to identify research trends and knowledge gaps globally, a review was carried out following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A total of 235 publications from the year 2000 to 2016 in the Scopus and Web of Science databases were reviewed.ResultsThe literature showed an increasing trend in the number of published articles over time with European studies leading in the proportion of studies conducted, followed by North America, Asia, South America, Africa and Australia. Several functional groups of organisms were studied from field margin and non-crop vegetation around agricultural lands including natural enemies (37%), insect pests (22%), birds (17%), pollinators (16%), soil macro fauna (4%) and small mammals (4%). Ecosystem services derived from the field margin included natural pest regulation, pollination, nutrient cycling and reduced offsite erosion. Some field margin plants were reported to host detrimental crop pests, a major ecosystem dis-service, potentially leading to increased pest infestation in the field.ConclusionThe majority of studies revealed the importance of field margin and non-crop vegetation around arable fields in enhancing ecosystem biodiversity. Promotion of field margin plants that selectively enhance the population of beneficial organisms would support sustainable food security rather than simply boosting plant diversity. Our analyses also highlight that agro-ecological studies remain largely overlooked in some regions.

Homogeneity of agriculture landscape promotes insecticide resistance in the ground beetle Poecilus cupreus

“…The presence of extensively managed semi-natural habitats–even if only as narrow, linear elements–plays a key role for NTAs in reducing the negative impacts of insecticides by providing shelter and access to uncontaminated food [ 48 ], but also as overwintering refugia or source habitats for the recolonization of fields [ 7 , 50 ]. With landscape simplification and land consolidation, the abundance of semi-natural habitats is decreasing together with the multiple ecosystem services they are providing [ 51 ].…”

Rural livelihood diversity and its influence on the ecological intensification potential of smallholder farms in Kenya

“…Their capacity to invest in EI management practices that are more costly at the outset and may not deliver economic returns in the short-term, such as agro-forestry, would therefore be greater (Jacobi et al, 2017). Furthermore, "market-oriented" farmers are also more likely to have additional available space on their land holdings to maintain and manage non-cropped areas such as field margins, known to be beneficial (Mkenda et al, 2019a(Mkenda et al, , 2019b. In contrast, "subsistence" farms were small and only grew a limited number of crops, many of which are not insect pollinated, and therefore despite high access to credit, investments in EI practices that delivered marginal improvements in yield would be unlikely to be economically justifiable, at least in the short-term (Garibaldi et al, 2019).…”

Natural Pest Regulation and Its Compatibility with Other Crop Protection Practices in Smallholder Bean Farming Systems

“…Conservation biological control may be the most accessible form of biological control for smallholder farmers in SSA, because they can implement affordable field-scale interventions, such as increasing the local plant diversity and abundance, to enhance the natural enemy populations [ 56 , 57 , 58 ]. Predators/parasitoids can be attracted to crops through the provision of floral resources (nectar and pollen) in the vicinity and suitable habitats [ 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 ].…”

“…More studies are required to identify the key roles played by natural enemies in managing important legume pests and their benefits over synthetics [ 9 ]. Natural enemies interact with field margins for resources and shelter, and this can enhance the biological control of pests in field crops [ 57 , 58 ]. This supports the importance of bean field margins in promoting natural enemies within bean crops.…”