Sara - Najjari

Ms. Sara - Najjari

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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20 March 2026 in Horticulturae
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
ESErmelinda Silva
Ermelinda Silva
SNSara - Najjari
Sara - Najjari
Oren ShelefOren Shelef
Oren Shelef
RBRoza Ayalkibet Belayneh
Roza Ayalkibet Belayneh
FSFrane Strikić
Frane Strikić
AGAlexandre Gonçalves
Alexandre Gonçalves
Intercropping is a pivotal strategy for achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 2—End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture (SDG 2)—by enhancing food security agroecosystem resilience and sustainability. By integrating diverse species within the same plot, this sustainable approach takes advantage of the beneficial interactions between them. The simultaneous cultivation of multiple crop species within the same field increases agricultural diversification and contributes to a more resilient production system, breaking the uniformity of modern intensive agriculture. The objective of this review is to evaluate intercropping practices throughout the Mediterranean, specifically in Southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece), North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia), and the Middle East (Turkey, Israel, and Jordan). This review intends to show advantages and disadvantages of intercropping and crops used and also highlight how intercropping systems affect crop production and quality, soil quality and microbiome, and proliferation of weeds, pests and diseases. The literature suggests that diversification in agriculture supports biodiversity and ecosystem services by the cultivation of diverse crop species together and, hence, may reduce independence in external outputs such as nutrient supply, pesticides and soil amendment. Despite the potential benefits of intercropping, the major caveats of this practice are the competition between different crops on resources, potential risks of plant protection, technical challenges of integrating the different requirements of each crop used in the system, and culture-related restrictions or regulations.