Technologies- La Niña

(Agricultural Resources Management Sector)

  

Alleycropping
 


Description

Alley cropping is a system where hedgerows of woody species of trees or shrubs or grasses are established across the slopes and along the contours of an area. Agricultural crops are grown in the alleys formed between the hedgerows. The hedgerows provide biophysical barrier that minimizes soil erosion by trapping sediments at their base and slowing down surface runoff. These also contribute green leaf manure for food crops grown in the alleys as these are pruned regularly and the herbage is returned to the soil (PCARRD, 1996).

Requirements for Adoption

a. Minimum

  • knowledge of biophysical and socio-economic condition of the area

  • The biophysical assessment shall include among others the topography, vegetation, climatic condition and soil characteristics of the area. Socio-economic assessment will cover the predominant farming systems of the nearby communities, customs, means of livelihood, and the availability of social, economic, and market services in the area. These information will help farmers decide what particular crops/systems are to be planted in the area.

  • availability of planting materials for the hedgerows

  • labor requirement for the hedgerow establishment and planting of alley crops

b. Support Systems

  • technical assistance from experts

Farmers should link with competent extension workers in the area or experts from DA, DENR, UPLB, PCARRD, or other agencies to ensure proper and efficient application of the technology.

c. Equipment/Information

  • A-frame

A simple device made up of three wooden or bamboo poles with a levelling machine attached is required. In the absence of an A-frame, use carpenters water level hose.

  • leguminous seeds/fruit tree seedlings and seeds for alley crops

Advantages

  • reduces soil loss to a tolerable level of less than 10 t/ha per year

  • increases crop yield and farm income

Based on the results of ASIALAND studies in Batangas and Rizal, the net income increased to as high as P 65,000/ha per year during the wet cropping season as against the farmers’ practice of only P11,000/ha per year. Additional income can be derived from fruit trees planted in the hedgerows.

  • less dependence on inorganic fertilizers

Green manure planted in the hedgerows partially provides the fertilizer requirement of the soil, making the farmers less dependent on chemical fertilizers.

  • simple and flexible practice

This is a simple technology and can easily be integrated in upland cropping systems. A wide variety of crops can also be planted in sloping areas with alley cropping.

  • rehabilitates degraded sloping lands

The system decreases soil erosion, thereby retarding soil degradation. The hedgerows formed enable the area to rehabilitate crop productivity.

Limitations

  • The area of the farm limits its application, particularly if the farmer has only one small parcel of land to cultivate and grow crops. If he/she is farming and earning a living from that small parcel, his/her choice of hedgerow crops will be very limited to green manure crops and grasses. Planting fruit trees is not highly recommended since shading is a potential problem unless the benefits of having fruit trees is recognized.

Recommendations

  • Properly locate the contour lines and select the crops to be planted in the hedgerows and alleyways.

Contour lines are laid out along the slope to determine the location of hedgerows. This can be done with the use of an A-frame or a carpenter’s level hose.

The marked contour lines and the strips in between or the alleyways are plowed until ready for planting. The stakes marked along the contour serve as guide during land preparation. The contour lines are spaced 4-6 m for steeper slopes or 7-10 m when they are more gradual.

Celestino (1985) suggested the following guide based on the rule that the steeper the slope, the closer the hedgerow should be:

          Slope (%)           Interval (m)

 

          10-15                 25-30

          16-25                 20-24

          41-60                 10-14

          > 61                   4-9

  • Apply leguminous crops and inorganic fertilizer to increase the yield, especially when soil fertility is a problem.

  • Practice minimum or zero tillage in alleyways.

  • Prune hedgerows.

To avoid complete shading out of agricultural crops in the alleys, hedgerows are cut regularly every 45-60 days, depending on the season and soil fertility. Trimmings are spread in the alleys as mulch, organic fertilizer, or fed to livestock on a cut- and -carry basis.

  • Grow alleyway crops.

Annual crops such as corn, upland rice, peanut, or mungbean are planted in the alleyway between hedgerows or leguminous shrubs or fruit trees. Rotation cropping is highly recommended.

Possible Areas of Application

  • degraded hillylands/sloping upland farms

Dysfunctional Consequences

  • When right contour lines are not properly determined using an A-frame, soil erosion will not be minimized.

  • When hedgerows are not trimmed, shading of alley crops will occur leading to a decrease in yield.

  • Uprooting of hedgerows will lead to continuous water flow in the wrong direction that will result in soil erosion.

References

Celestino, A.F. Ipil-ipil hedgerows for soil erosion control in hillylands. FSSRI Monograph No. 3. College, Laguna: UPLB-FSSRI, College of Agriculture, 1985.

De Guzman, M.T. L. On and off site economic impacts of alley cropping. In The Case of the Mabini Site, Philippines. Paper presented during the IBSRAM Annual Meeting held in Hanoi, Vietnam, 1999.

PCARRD. Alley cropping system in sloping lands. Technology! Vol. XVIII, No. 2. Los Baños, Laguna: PCARRD, 1996.

 
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