• Addresses some of the common issues associated with the use of bio-based fertilisers
• Reviews the use and benefits of service crops in intensive cropping systems and low input systems
• Considers the use of compost as a means of improving soil health and biodiversity

Contributions by: April Leytem, Robert Dungan, Mindy Spiehs and Dan Miller, United States Department of Agriculture, USA; Cristina Lazcano, University of California-Davis, USA; Charlotte Decock, California Polytechnic State University, USA; Connie T. F. Wong, University of California-Davis, USA; and Kamille Garcia-Brucher, California Polytechnic State University, USA; Iris Vogeler, Aarhus University, Denmark and Christian-Albrechts University, Germany; Peter Sørensen and Ingrid K. Thomsen, Aarhus University, Denmark; and Friedhelm Taube, Christian-Albrechts University, Germany; Lucie Chmelíková and Kurt-Jürgen Hülsbergen, Technical University of Munich, Germany; and Sebastian Wolfrum, Technical University of Munich, Germany, and Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture, Germany