Assessing the impact of agroecological practice combinations on ecosystem services: a meta-analysis from European agriculture
1
, University of Tuscia, Via S.M. in Gradi n.4, Viterbo, VT - 01100, Italy
2
, CMCC Foundation, Via Marco Biagi, 5, Lecce, LE - 73100, Italy
Agroecology offers a comprehensive framework for guiding sustainable agricultural transitions, integrating ecological science, local knowledge, and socio-political dimensions. By promoting diversified, ecologically grounded practices, agroecology aims to enhance ecosystem services (ES) while increasing system resilience and reducing environmental impacts. This study applies agroecology both as a theoretical lens and as an analytical basis to evaluate how land management practices influence ES provision in European agroecosystems. A meta-analysis was conducted following the PRISMA protocol, resulting in a dataset of over 130 peer-reviewed experimental studies. Quantitative comparisons between conventional and agroecological systems were extracted and analyzed in R, focusing on seven ES: yield, carbon storage, soil health, water regulation, nutrient cycling, pest and disease regulation, and biodiversity. Attention was given to the performance of combinations of agroecological practices, not only on individual interventions.
Preliminary results show that some practice combinations consistently deliver positive outcomes. For example, no-till combined with organic fertilization (NT + ORG FERT) improved soil regulation (i.e. 10%) and nutrient cycling (i.e. 43%), with over 80% of comparisons showing positive effects. Agroforestry (AFS) led to substantial gains in carbon storage (i.e. 44%) and biodiversity, although its effects on yield were mixed. BIOCH + ORG FERT showed strong improvements in water regulation (i.e. 48%) and nutrient cycling (i.e. 66%). Yield responses were variable: slightly negative under organic-only systems (i.e. ORG FERT, –13%), while more stable outcomes were observed in some combined systems, such as BIOCH + ORG FERT. Pest and disease regulation showed mixed results, with some positive effects in diversified organic systems, but high variability remains due to limited and heterogeneous data. While many combinations of agroecological practices showed promising results, several studies also reported neutral or negative outcomes, particularly for yield and soil health and partly due to outliers or limited observations. These trade-offs highlight the importance of context and implementation. Nevertheless, the emerging trends suggest that bundled agroecological strategies can enhance multifunctionality. As the meta-analysis evolves with additional data, this work aims to strengthen the empirical basis for supporting agroecological transitions and informing policies focused on ecosystem service provision in European agriculture.
Ecologia del suolo: dalla conoscenza alla gestione sostenibile