Purpose <p>Scientists are communicating that further agricultural intensification is possible through intercropping, primarily in developing countries with larger populations and less arable land. However, a lack of detailed knowledge about intercropping systems and designs restricts its large-scale adoption. Therefore, this study was initiated to quantify the maize/soybean and maize/mungbean intercropping effects on growth (leaf area and dry matter), resource (nitrogen; N, phosphorus; P, and land) utilization, and yield of intercrops, aiming to achieve agricultural sustainability with reduced resources.</p> Methods <p>This three year’s field study evaluated the effects of maize/mungbean and maize/soybean intercropping with additive and substitutive designs, comparing the results with those of their sole crops.</p> Results <p>Intercrops achieved higher values of growth indices, nutrient uptake, and yield with additive design than substitutive design. Specifically, with additive design, intercropped mungbean and soybean produced 62–65% and 71–75% of sole mungbean and soybean yield, while maize intercropped with mungbean and soybean achieved 75–77% and 68–69% of sole maize yield, respectively. The nutrient-use and land-use advantages in maize/legume intercropping with additive design, calculated as the total land equivalent ratios (LER) for N, P, and land were 1.60–1.71 (LER_N), 1.45–1.56 (LER_P), and 1.38–1.44 (LER_L), which enhanced the net profit of maize/mungbean (USD 1020 ha^− 1) and maize/soybean (USD 1275 ha^− 1) intercropping by 15% and 44%, respectively, compared to sole maize (USD 886 ha^− 1).</p> Conclusion <p>Maize/legume intercropping has substantial potential to enhance yield, nutrient, and land-use efficiency through complementary and facilitative interactions, particularly in resource-intensive arid-irrigated regions with reduced anthropogenic inputs and environmental footprints.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>