Agronomic Approaches for Sustainable Production of Fruits and Vegetables

Abstract

Fruits and vegetables are essential pillars of human nutrition and global food security, yet their sustainable production is under increasing threat from population growth, climate change, resource depletion, and the environmental costs of intensive farming. This review synthesizes peer-reviewed scientific evidence on the major agronomic approaches for sustainable fruit and vegetable production. Core areas examined include soil health management, nutrient management using fertilizers and biostimulants, water use efficiency through deficit and drip irrigation, integrated pest management (IPM), crop diversification through rotation and legume intercropping, organic farming strategies, and climate-smart adaptation. Key verified quantitative findings include: fertilizer application improving crop yield by 30.9% and nutritional quality by 11.9% across 7,859 data pairs; subsurface drip irrigation increasing yield by 5.39% and irrigation water productivity by 6.75% relative to surface drip across 984 comparisons; IPM achieving a 40.9% mean yield increase alongside pesticide use falling to 30.7% of baseline across 85 projects in Asia and Africa; legume-based rotations enhancing subsequent crop yield by 20% across 11,768 observations from 462 field experiments; and diversified crop rotation increasing equivalent yield by 38%, reducing N₂O emissions by 39%, and improving soil health by 45% in a six-year field experiment in the North China Plain. Evidence demonstrates that combining multiple complementary sustainable practices generates synergistic benefits exceeding those of any single intervention. Key research priorities include long-term system-level evaluations of Conservation Agriculture in horticultural systems, integration of soil health metrics with nutrient and water management, economic feasibility assessments for smallholder adoption, and improved understanding of climate resilience under diversified production systems.