Chapter 02 · Nature, land & waterCoffee, Cocoa & Agricultural Commodities
Alley cropping
Definition
An agroforestry practice consisting of growing arable or herbaceous crops between hedgerows of planted trees and shrubs. In tropical systems, fast-growing leguminous species are pruned every few weeks and the biomass returned to the alleys as mulch and green manure; in temperate systems, widely spaced timber or nut trees are combined with machine-worked crops between rows.
References
Definition; tropical origins and rationale; pruning cycles and green manure; temperate variants and spacing; evaluation caveats.
Overview
What it means
Alley cropping was developed in the tropics in the 1970s–80s as an alternative to shifting cultivation, aiming to reproduce the soil benefits of natural fallows — nutrient recycling, weed suppression and erosion control — without taking land out of production. Nitrogen-fixing species such as Gliricidia sepium add fertility biologically.
Temperate versions (for example black walnut with field crops in North America) are driven more by diversified income.
How it is used
Thousands of farmers practise alley cropping in eastern and southern Africa, and the system is researched and promoted by agroforestry centres. It is used on sloping land for erosion control and in diversified farm systems seeking soil health, fuelwood, fodder and risk-spreading beyond monoculture.
Why it matters
Alley cropping shows how trees can be integrated into productive farmland to build soil health and resilience rather than competing with crops. Assessments caution that benefits depend on context and management — competition between trees and crops can reduce yields if pruning and spacing are wrong.