Patch cropping- a new methodological approach to determine new field arrangements that increase the multifunctionality of agricultural landscapes

•Patch Cropping is a novel approach for small-scale and site-specific cropping system design.•Fields are divided based on a step by step protocol into different yield potential zones.•Maximum working width, permanent traffic lane and simple geometries are considered.•Relative variance change due to number of growing seasons (GS), edge length and parallel shift.•Independent cross validation shows decrease of RMSEP with increasing number of GS.