Editing IPCC:AR6/WGII/Chapter-5 (section)

==== 5.10.1.1 Mixed crop–livestock systems ====

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Overall, there is ''high confidence'' that farm strategies that integrate mixed crop–livestock systems can improve farm productivity and have positive sustainability outcomes ( [[#Havet--2014|Havet et al., 2014]] ; [[#Thornton--2014|Thornton and Herrero, 2014]] ; [[#Herrero--2015|Herrero et al., 2015]] ; [[#Thornton--2015|Thornton and Herrero, 2015]] ; [[#HLPE--2019|HLPE, 2019]] ). The scale of the improvement varies between regions and systems and is moderated by overall demand in specific food products and the policy context. Integrated crop–livestock systems present opportunities for the control of weeds, pests and diseases. They can also provide a range of environmental benefits, such as increased soil carbon and soil water retention, increased biodiversity and reduced need for inorganic fertilizers ( [[#Havet--2014|Havet et al., 2014]] ; [[#Thornton--2014|Thornton and Herrero, 2014]] ; [[#Herrero--2015|Herrero et al., 2015]] ; [[#Thornton--2015|Thornton and Herrero, 2015]] ; [[#HLPE--2019|HLPE, 2019]] ).

Research indicates that mixed crop–livestock systems are often more resilient to climate change ''(medium confidence'' ). In the southern Afar region of Ethiopia, crop–livestock households were more resilient than livestock-only households to climate-induced shock ( [[#Mekuyie--2018|Mekuyie et al., 2018]] ). However, the benefits of managing crop–livestock interactions in response to climate change depend on local context. For example, in higher-rainfall zones in Australia, [[#Nie--2016|Nie et al. (2016)]] found some yield reductions and difficulty in maintaining groundcover. The systematic review of [[#Gil--2017|Gil et al. (2017)]] concluded that the integration of crop and livestock enterprises as an adaptation measure can enhance resilience (FAQ 5.1).

Reconfiguration of mixed farming systems is occurring. In semi-arid eastern Senegal, [[#Brottem--2018|Brottem and Brooks (2018)]] found increasing reliance on livestock production mostly because of changing climate conditions. Many poorer households are having to rely on migration to compensate for shortfalls in crop production arising from a changing climate. Some farmers have successfully shifted to crop–livestock systems in Australia, where they have allocated land and forage resources in response to climate and price trends ( [[#Bell--2014|Bell et al., 2014]] ).

Mixed livestock–crop systems may increase burdens on women, require managing competing uses of crop residues, and have higher requirements of capital and management skills. These factors can be challenging in many lower-income countries ( [[#Rufino--2013|Rufino et al., 2013]] ; [[#Thornton--2015|Thornton and Herrero, 2015]] ; [[#Jost--2016|Jost et al., 2016]] ; Thornton, 2018). The policy actions needed for the successful operation of mixed crop–livestock systems may be similar across widely different situations: good access to credit inputs and capacity building needed to facilitate uptake ( [[#Hassen--2017|Hassen et al., 2017]] ; [[#Marcos-Martinez--2017|Marcos-Martinez et al., 2017]] ), and good levels of market infrastructure ( [[#Ouédraogo--2017|Ouédraogo et al., 2017]] ; [[#Iiyama--2018|Iiyama et al., 2018]] ).

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