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Huang C, Liu Q, Heerink N, et al. Economic Performance and Sustainability of a Novel Intercropping System on the North China Plain. PLoS One. 2015;10(8):e0135518doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135518.
Huang, C., Liu, Q., Heerink, N., Stomph, T., Li, B., Liu, R., Zhang, H., Wang, C., Li, X., Zhang, C., van der Werf, W., & Zhang, F. (2015). Economic Performance and Sustainability of a Novel Intercropping System on the North China Plain. PloS one, 10(8), e0135518. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0135518
Huang, Chengdong, et al. "Economic Performance and Sustainability of a Novel Intercropping System on the North China Plain." PloS one vol. 10,8 (2015): e0135518. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0135518
Huang C, Liu Q, Heerink N, Stomph T, Li B, Liu R, Zhang H, Wang C, Li X, Zhang C, van der Werf W, Zhang F. Economic Performance and Sustainability of a Novel Intercropping System on the North China Plain. PLoS One. 2015 Aug 14;10(8):e0135518. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135518. eCollection 2015. PMID: 26275297; PMCID: PMC4537243.
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PLoS One. 2015 Aug 14;10(8):e0135518. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135518. eCollection 2015.

Economic Performance and Sustainability of a Novel Intercropping System on the North China Plain.

PloS one

Chengdong Huang, Quanqing Liu, Nico Heerink, TjeerdJan Stomph, Baoshen Li, Ruili Liu, Hongyan Zhang, Chong Wang, Xiaolin Li, Chaochun Zhang, Wopke van der Werf, Fusuo Zhang

Affiliations

  1. Center for Resources, Environment and Food Security, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
  2. Institute of Agricultural Resources & Environment, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China.
  3. Development Economics Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
  4. Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

PMID: 26275297 PMCID: PMC4537243 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135518

Abstract

Double cropping of wheat and maize is common on the North China Plain, but it provides limited income to rural households due to the small farm sizes in the region. Local farmers in Quzhou County have therefore innovated their production system by integration of watermelon as a companion cash crop into the system. We examine the economic performance and sustainability of this novel intercropping system using crop yield data from 2010 to 2012 and farm household survey data collected in 2012. Our results show that the gross margin of the intercropping system exceeded that of the double cropping system by more than 50% in 2012. Labor use in the intercropping system was more than three times that in double cropping. The lower returns per labor hour in intercropping, however, exceeded the average off-farm wage in the region by a significant margin. Nutrient surpluses and irrigation water use are significant larger under the intercropping system. We conclude that the novel wheat-maize/watermelon intercropping system contributes to rural poverty alleviation and household-level food security, by raising farm incomes and generating more employment, but needs further improvement to enhance its sustainability.

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