Cultivating Grain Legumes in Pure or Intercropped Systems: Stakeholder Perspectives in the Agricultural Sociotechnical System

In this case study of French grain legume production, the authors examine factors driving or impeding the diffusion of legumes grown alone or intercropped with cereals within the sociotechnical agri-food system. Semi-structured interviews with institutional actors—farm unions, water agencies, and producer associations—reveal contrasting economic and environmental assessments of legume cultivation that obstruct coordinated efforts for diversification. Although intercropping addresses certain technical challenges of pure stands, it remains limited by a value chain oriented toward specialization and homogenization. The study argues that enhancing cultivated biodiversity at field and rotation scales requires system-wide co-evolution, shared knowledge bases, actor coordination, and policies promoting ecological intensification.