The publication provides an overview of the research carried out by the SARe Master students in their home countries as part of their second-year activities. They conducted field research on problems related to specific agroecosystems and of concern to small-scale farmers, pastoralists, local institutions and organisations. The focus was on food products, value chains, natural resource management, innovation systems and agricultural services.

Crop losses from pests threaten global food security and safety. In the last six decades, pest control using chemical pesticides has resulted in important yield gains per unit area, worldwide. However, the long-term sustainability of chemical pest control has been increasingly thrown into doubt due to the negative impact on human health, biodiversity, and the environment.

No-till cropping systems with cover crops can improve soil health, but often rely on glyphosate, which is a contentious herbicide. In this study, we investigated whether a system based on the direct sowing of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in the dead mulch of a roller-crimped hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) could be competitive with a system where glyphosate is also sprayed to terminate the cover crop and to control weeds.