Soil Quality Enhancement through Integrated Farming Systems

Sustainable agricultural productivity depends on soil quality and management practices. Integrated crop–livestock systems offer a promising pathway to enhance agri-food system resilience through soil quality improvement. This study evaluates soil quality dynamics under varying integration levels in a Mexican agricultural region characterized by conventional monoculture maize production, addressing critical gaps in sustainable transition strategies. Four farming systems were compared, FS1 (low-integration system: maize monoculture, no grazing) and three medium–high-integrated systems, all of them including grazing: FS2 (grass + legume), FS3 (grass + maize + cover crop), and FS4 (grass + maize + legume). Soil samples were collected at the beginning and end of two crop cycles, with physical and chemical properties analyzed. Key soil quality indicators were identified via Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and aggregated into a Soil Quality Index (SQI) for each farming system. Monoculture maize (FS1) exhibited a significant decline (P=0.001) in SQI (13.8) compared to higher-integrated systems (average SQI=17.7) by the end of the evaluation period. Legume integration (FS2 and FS4) consistently improved SQI, underscoring its role in soil health. PCA identified organic matter, nitrogen, and bulk density as primary drivers of soil quality differentiation. Higher-integrated farming systems significantly mitigate soil degradation compared to monocultures, with legume inclusion offering additional benefits. SQI provides a robust tool for monitoring management practices and guiding sustainable transitions. These findings advocate policy and practitioner prioritization of diversified systems to reconcile productivity with environmental sustainability in farming systems. Acknowledgements: The authors wish to thank the UNAM (Project: CI 2454) for providing financial and institutional support for this study.