A Diverse Corn Belt reflects transformation at various levels: At the farm level, diversification will involve expanding rotations beyond corn and soybeans to include crops that could range from small grains to forage, perennial and bioenergy crops, vegetables/horticulture crops, grazed livestock, trees and more.

Market level diversity recognizes the need for diverse markets for both producers and consumers, and the importance of meeting the needs of diverse people along the value chain. At the landscape level, diversity reflects wide-scale adoption of alternative farming systems that are climate-smart and result in resilient intensification while reaching goals for profit, yield and ecosystem services. It is also important that systems and services are equitably distributed.