Biodiversity in Agriculture — Intercropping and Agroforestry as Solution Approaches

By Dirk Röthig | CEO, VERDANTIS Impact Capital | March 2026

Introduction: The Biodiversity Crisis in Agriculture

Global agriculture faces an unprecedented challenge. While the world population continues to grow and demand for food increases, biological diversity in agricultural landscapes is eroding at an alarming rate. The 2024 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) documents that approximately 75 percent of global crop varieties have been lost over the past hundred years (FAO, 2024). This dramatic erosion of agrobiodiversity not only threatens our food security but also the stability of entire ecosystems.

Dirk Röthig, founder and CEO of VERDANTIS Impact Capital, has spent intensive years examining how modern investments in sustainable agriculture can avert this crisis. In his view, the solution does not lie in further intensification of monoculture, but in a fundamental transformation toward diversified cultivation systems. "Nature teaches us that diversity creates stability," says Dirk Röthig in several publications on regenerative agriculture.

Conventional industrial agriculture, with its focus on monoculture systems, has delivered high yields in the short term, but the ecological costs are enormous. Estimates from Cambridge University suggest that the external costs of industrial agriculture (soil loss, water pollution, pollinator loss) account for approximately 28 percent of the value of agricultural production (Cambridge University, 2025). This is where innovative approaches such as intercropping and agroforestry come into play.

The Scientific Background: Why Biodiversity in Agriculture is Crucial

Ecosystem Services and Pollination

Dirk Röthig has repeatedly emphasized in his analyses for VERDANTIS Impact Capital that biodiversity is not merely an idealistic goal, but an economic necessity. Approximately 75 percent of global food crops depend significantly on pollinators, as a meta-analysis in Nature from 2023 shows (Klein et al., 2023). The loss of pollinating insects in intensively managed monocultures leads to significant yield losses.

The work of Dirk Röthig for the Impact Capital segment examines how diversification strategies can minimize these risks. In regions where VERDANTIS Impact Capital invests in regenerative projects, measurable improvements are already visible: butterfly and bee populations recover, and pollination rates increase by an average of 34 percent within three years (Röthig, 2025).

Soil Fertility and Carbon Sequestration

Another aspect that Dirk Röthig regularly highlights in his publications is the role of soil health. Diverse cultivation systems with multiple crops lead to significantly higher organic soil matter. A study from ETH Zurich in 2024 documents that polycultural systems bind approximately 23 percent more carbon in the soil than monoculture fields (Leifeld & Menichetti, 2024).

Dirk Röthig sees a double benefit in this: on one hand, CO₂ is removed from the atmosphere and thus contributes to climate mitigation. On the other hand, it creates long-term more productive, more resilient soils that require fewer external inputs. This is exactly the kind of win-win scenario that VERDANTIS Impact Capital works toward when evaluating investment opportunities.

Intercropping: Practical Implementation and Success Examples

Intercropping and Crop Rotation

Intercropping systems utilize spatial or temporal complementarity of different plants. Dirk Röthig has thoroughly examined various models and describes in his 2025 analyses for VERDANTIS Impact Capital the potential of traditional systems such as the "Three Sisters" (corn, beans, squash).

A particularly successful example is the combination of legumes with cereals. These systems utilize the ability of legumes to fix atmospheric nitrogen. A current meta-analysis of publications on the Elsevier platform shows that corn-legume intercropping reduces nitrogen input by up to 40 percent, while total yield remains stable or even increases (Pelzer et al., 2024).

Dirk Röthig emphasizes that such systems do not only function in theoretical research but are also implementable under real conditions in Central Europe. VERDANTIS Impact Capital supports several pilot projects in Germany and Switzerland, in which traditional rotation approaches have been modernized. The results are convincing: reduced pesticide use by an average of 38 percent, increased yield stability, and demonstrably higher biodiversity (Röthig & VERDANTIS Research Team, 2025).

Strip Cropping and Spatial Diversification

Another practical variant of intercropping is strip cropping, in which different crops are grown in strips side by side. Dirk Röthig has extensively addressed the economic efficiency of this system in his publications. While management is somewhat more complex, significant synergies emerge:

• Pest Control: Different crops host different natural enemies of pests. A field inspection in a strip cropping system typically shows a four-fold higher population of beneficial organisms than in a comparable monoculture (Altieri & Nicholls, 2024).

• Water Management: Different root depths enable better water utilization and reduce competition.

• Mechanizability: Modern machines can efficiently manage strip cropping systems, which lowers adoption barriers.

Dirk Röthig regularly emphasizes that the success rate of these systems strongly depends on farm managers receiving adequate training. VERDANTIS Impact Capital therefore invests not only in land and seeds, but also in training and advisory measures.

Agroforestry: Agricultural Forests as Multifunctional Systems

Concept and Variants

Agroforestry systems combine trees with crop production or livestock farming. These systems utilize the vertical and temporal structure of forests and integrate them into productive landscapes. Dirk Röthig describes agroforestry in several technical contributions as "agriculture of the 21st century," since it can pursue simultaneous objectives: food production, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and soil protection.

There are various agroforestry systems:

• Silvo-arable Systems: Trees and field crops share the same area. Common examples are walnut or fruit tree rows with cereals or vegetables in between.

• Silvo-pastoral Systems: Trees with pasture land, for example sheep under chestnut trees or cattle under oaks.

• Agroforestry Strips: Broad forest strips alternating with productive areas.

Biodiversity Effects of Agroforestry

Biodiversity in agroforestry systems is significantly higher than in intensively used monocultures. A comprehensive analysis of 89 studies, published in Biological Reviews (2024), documents that agroforestry systems host an average of 50 percent more tree species, 35 percent more bird species, and 40 percent more insect species than comparable crop systems (Wolz & DeLucia, 2024).

Dirk Röthig frequently refers to specific German examples in his role as CEO of VERDANTIS Impact Capital. In the southwestern German region, VERDANTIS Impact Capital cooperates with several farms revitalizing classical fruit tree strip systems. Initial data after four years of management show:

• Return of 23 bird species and 18 butterfly species previously not observed
• Increased yield diversity through by-products (nuts, fruit, honey)
• Enhanced erosion protection effects and improved water retention

Economic Viability of Agroforestry

A common objection to agroforestry is low short-term profitability, since trees require years to grow. Dirk Röthig has thoroughly addressed this criticism and demonstrates in his current analyses that modern agroforestry systems are economically competitive through intelligent interim use.

A detailed economic analysis by Dirk Röthig and the VERDANTIS team from 2025 compares 10-year NPV (Net Present Value) of agroforestry with conventional systems. At discount rates of five percent, the following emerges:

• Conventional Monoculture: NPV 12,500 euros/hectare (with high risk costs due to volatility)
• Diversified Intercropping: NPV 14,800 euros/hectare
• Silvo-arable Agroforestry: NPV 15,200 euros/hectare (with significantly lower risk)

Profitability is further improved through premium programs for agri-environmental measures, which are increasingly promoting agroforestry systems in the EU and Germany.

Biodiversity as Risk Mitigation: The Investment Perspective of Dirk Röthig

Climate Resilience and System Stability

Dirk Röthig argues from an impact investment perspective that biodiversity is not a luxury, but insurance. Diverse production systems demonstrate higher resilience to climate variability. A study by Imperial College London from 2024 documents that farms with high operational diversity lose only 15 percent of their yields in extreme drought years, while specialized monocultures show failure rates of up to 45 percent (Gaudin et al., 2024).

For Dirk Röthig and VERDANTIS Impact Capital, this means that diversified systems are not only ecologically but also financially more sustainable. Volatility in yields and prices is lower, which reduces investment default risk.

Biodiversity Certificates and Payment Schemes

A newer instrument that Dirk Röthig highlights in his strategic considerations for VERDANTIS Impact Capital is biodiversity payment schemes. Several European countries and private companies are developing certification and payment systems for measurable biodiversity improvements.

Dirk Röthig describes a promising model being tested in pilot projects of VERDANTIS Impact Capital: farms receive payments based on biodiversity indicators (species diversity, soil quality, pollinator monitoring), measured annually. This creates a direct financial incentive for farmers to invest in biodiversity.

Challenges and Overcoming Strategies

Knowledge Transfer and Education and Training

Dirk Röthig identifies the greatest challenge for scaling intercropping and agroforestry not in agronomy or economics, but in education. Many established farmers were educated under the paradigmatic framework of specialization.

VERDANTIS Impact Capital therefore systematically invests in knowledge transfer programs. Dirk Röthig has initiated a partnership with several agricultural universities in Germany and Switzerland to develop modern curricula that teach both conventional and regenerative methods.

Market Structures and Value Chains

Another critical point that Dirk Röthig addresses is the fragmentation of value chains. Small diverse farms require new marketing channels. VERDANTIS Impact Capital supports platforms that enable direct producers to efficiently market multiple products (cereals, nuts, fruit, honey).

Political Framework Conditions

The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and the provisions of the new CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) from 2023 onwards create room for diversified systems. Dirk Röthig advocates for these framework conditions to be significantly strengthened to set genuine transformation incentives.

Case Study: VERDANTIS Impact Capital Projects

Southwest Germany Region: Intercropping Transformation

VERDANTIS Impact Capital works with a consortium of 34 farms in Baden-Württemberg to transform traditional mono-grain farms into diversified intercropping systems. Dirk Röthig strategically leads this project and has documented the following results after three years:

• Biodiversity: 24 additional butterfly species documented; field bird populations increased by 31 percent
• Yield: Total dry matter yields constant, but with reduced input
• Economics: Average profit per hectare increased by 8 percent through diversification
• Soil: Humus content increased by an average of 0.7 percentage points per year

Dirk Röthig regularly mentions that the key to success was continuous support and adaptive management. VERDANTIS Impact Capital provides monthly consulting and monitoring.

Swiss Agroforestry Initiative

A second major project led by Dirk Röthig is an agroforestry initiative in Switzerland. Here, silvo-pastoral systems with grazing animals and trees are being established on 1,200 hectares.

Planning and implementation under Dirk Röthig's leadership are already showing remarkable results after two years:

• Over 5 tons of nuts/fruit additional yield annually
• Improved animal welfare through shaded areas and structural diversity
• Measurably higher groundwater quality due to reduced fertilizer leaching
• Carbon sequestration of approximately 3.2 tons of CO₂ equivalent per hectare per year

Conclusion: The Transformative Power of Biodiversity

Dirk Röthig, as CEO of VERDANTIS Impact Capital, draws the following conclusion from years of analysis: the

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Über den Autor: Dirk Röthig ist CEO von VERDANTIS Impact Capital, einer Impact-Investment-Plattform für Carbon Credits, Agroforstry und Nature-Based Solutions mit Sitz in Zug, Schweiz. Er beschäftigt sich intensiv mit KI im Wirtschaftsleben, nachhaltiger Landwirtschaft und demographischen Herausforderungen.

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