Agro and socio-economic diagnosis provides a basis for modelling cropping systems and their components. Related to the initial assessment, long-term experimental units, which are representatives of the biophysical (integrating soil, slope and climate) and farming systems diversities, are set up in order to carry out DMC systems and technologies. A range of cropping systems is generated, integrating local species (as rice bean in the south of Xayabury) as a first step. Each cropping sequence, and each year of the sequence, is represented under no-till and tillage (used as a reference) practices. Cropping systems comprise three major components:

• Soil management and land preparation through either conventional land preparation (slash-and-burn, ploughing) or through direct seeding (mulching, use of crop residues and cover crop).
• Crop management (rotation, association or crop sequence in the same season; sowing date and plant density). In DMC systems, efficient crop management can reduce weeds and pest pressure and maintain the main functions as close as possible to the natural ecosystem.
• Thematic adjustment (cultivar, fertilises...). 

Soil and crops management, cultivars and others inputs and natural conditions can be cross-linked to obtain a set of highly varied conditions (Séguy et al. 1998).

Intercropping maize + rice bean (Vigna umbellata)	Two years rotational sequence maize - ricebean (Vigna umbellata)	Two years rotational sequence maize + B. ruziziensis - ricebean (Vigna umbellata)

Read more: Technical offer in southern Xayabury (pwt 2007, 2009) and in Xieng Khouang (pwt 2009)

• Biophysical characterization (0/2)
• Crops diversification (1/3)
• Exemplary practices (24/20)