Addressing barriers to crop diversification: key elements of solutions identified across 25 case studies

Crop diversification is recognised as a central strategy towards improved productivity, delivery of ecosystem services and higher resilience of cropping systems. Crop diversification thus can help reaching the EU environmental sustainability targets. Although multiple benefits of crop diversification have been proven, the development of diversified cropping systems is still limited. In this context, a detailed analysis of barriers to crop diversification was undertaken based on the analysis of DiverIMPACTS' 25 case studies, participatory workshops and a literature review. In total, 46 barriers to crop diversification were identified. Barriers occur at different levels: at the farm level; from harvest to retail; at the market level; and in the coordination between value chain actors (Morel et al., 2020). Following-up on this exhaustive identification of barriers, DiverIMPACTS WP5's team gathered their expertise for identifying direct solutions addressing the barriers. The hereby report provides the solutions identified for the barriers to diversification at each level of the value chain and further discuss the conditions for enabling shifts towards more sustainable food systems. Chapter 1 highlights the strategic axis and concrete solutions identified for addressing each barrier2. Chapter 2 offers an identification of the actors to be involved in the implementation of each solution. Finally, recommendations are provided regarding the implementation of solutions in an effective way.