Double cropping in North Mediterranean cereal systems: farm size prevails over irrigation as adoption driver

Double cropping (DC) is a promising strategy for cropping systems, diversification, and intensification. While it is widely adopted in tropical regions, its feasibility in temperate and Mediterranean areas depends largely on the length of the growing season. Climate change may further enhance thermal suitability of these regions for DC, although future water availability may decrease. However, large-scale assessments of DC adoption across diverse cropping systems in Mediterranean contexts remain limited. This study addresses this gap by systematically analysing DC patterns in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region using Land Parcel Identification System data from 2019 to 2023. It also evaluates three potential drivers associated to DC adoption: farm size, irrigation availability, and soil available water content (AWC) as farm size may influence DC as smaller farms seek to offset fixed costs and yield variability; irrigation can mitigate summer drought; and higher AWC may support DC, especially under rainfed conditions. Moreover, several drivers of adoption at the field and farm levels were tested through a binary logistic regression. A total of 122 winter/summer DC combinations were identified for the first time in the region, though only 12 types accounted for 91% of the DC surface. The most common system combined winter cereals (barley or wheat) with soybean. Contrary to expectations, small and medium-sized farms adopted DC less frequently than large farms, although they used it more intensively when implemented. Contrary to expectations, irrigation availability was negatively associated with DC adoption, likely owing to sufficient summer rainfall in the region. Consistently, areas with higher AWC showed lower DC adoption. Overall, DC is well integrated in northeastern Italy, where it represents a potential source for diversification, but also it appears to be an intensification strategy adopted primarily by larger, arable-oriented conventional farms. While DC adoption is largely supported for now by favourable rainfall patterns, climate change may constrain DC viability, particularly in rainfed systems.