Recent advancements in breeding perennial rice and the perennial grain Kernza® illustrate progress in converting an agroecology moonshot into a deeply rooted reality. In this chapter we highlight research efforts underway to advance the scientific and sociocultural development of new perennial grain crops and cropping systems. Sections describe concentric circles of targeted research that begins with plant breeding, and expands into ecological intensification of cropping systems, supply chain development, farmer adoption, food science, and community learning. Together these elements contribute to a working model of perennialization that may be adaptable to a wide range of cultural geographies around the world.

Soil fauna represent a substantial portion of life in soils and play a critical role in providing ecosystem services and maintaining and enhancing soil quality. This chapter focuses on the potential of two key soil faunal ecosystem engineers—earthworms and enchytraeids—as soil health indicators in agroecosystems. Both groups are widely distributed and share similar functions in soils, albeit at different scales. We examine how environmental conditions, soil management practices, and interactions between these faunal groups impact their populations. Further, we review the various methods used to sample them and assess their activity. Earthworms and enchytraeids are only recently being seriously considered as biological indicators for soil quality. While it is clear that both faunal groups are sensitive to external factors such as land use, management and climate, we demonstrate that translating their functions into a practical, accessible indicator remains a challenge. We end with proposing key directions for future research.

In temperate regions, as the main agricultural land uses are livestock grazing or tillage, the most applicable agroforestry practices are silvopastoral systems (where trees are grown in grazed or mown pasture in a regular or varied pattern) and silvoarable systems (where trees or shrubs are grown in rows between an arable crop). A silvopastoral system is a land use type which is a three dimensional complex ecological mix where seasonal and temporal evolution of the system delivers a wide range of ecosystem services. In this chapter the definition of silvopastoral systems will be considered as those where trees are grown in grazed pasture in a regular or varied pattern. The value of the system lies in its complexity and its capacity to be resilient within an increasingly challenging climatic framework.

Silvopastoral systems (SPS) have been identified as efficient land management strategies to increase the performance of animal and tree production. The combinations of trees and/or shrubs with pastures and animals are present in diverse ways, generating different SPS. SPS design can be two or three strata where grass, trees, and shrubs could be combined; live fences and barriers; windbreaks and native forests. These SPS deliver environmental services such as soil carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, water sources conservation, water regulation and soil quality improvement, animal welfare and increased forage production. The chapter includes four different SPS cases from Argentina. The chapter reviews their impacts, including an increase in total biomass production of the whole system and levels of soil carbon sequestration. SPS are therefore important tools for managing climate change mitigation and food security.

This chapter discusses the integration of livestock (or forage) production with tree crops, particularly fruit trees and vines. After reviewing the current extent of fruit tree-based agroforestry systems, the chapter highlights the opportunities this integration offers in increasing overall land productivity, whilst minimizing competition between forage and food production, while reducing inputs and environmental impact. The chapter then discusses in detail the many challenges this integration entails and how these challenges can be effectively addressed.

In this chapter, the authors summarize historic and current research on multifunctional biomass production, and provide insights in current research trends and future possibilities. The chapter is oriented around a case study in which widespread deployment of riparian buffers and windbreaks is modelled across Europe, in over 81,000 landscapes. Using three policy scenarios, we identify landscapes in which riparian buffers and windbreaks can mitigate nitrogen emissions to water and wind erosion, respectively, and quantify corresponding areas, biomass output, and environmental benefits. The findings indicate that the implementation of these systems results in effective mitigation of the targeted environmental impacts, concurrently yielding substantial environmental co-benefits with minimal consequences on prevailing agricultural production. Such beneficial land-use change is pivotal in fulfilling environmental targets and facilitating progress towards a sustainable bioeconomy.