What is a mixed farming and why is it important?

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The basics of intercropping on a smallholder’s farm

Intercropping is a method of growing more than one crop in the same piece of land during the same season. The major benefit has been to increase the production per unit area. It enables you as a farmer to utilize available resources on the farm. With intercropping, you will have the Base/Main crop and the intercrop. The intercrop has a short lifecycle and will mainly be grown for extra profits or to mitigate losses during the base/main crop area.

Types of intercropping

 Mixed intercropping -Growing of two or more crops simultaneously on the same piece of land with no distinct row arrangement.

 Row intercropping – It is a kind of intercropping where different crops are grown at the same time in the same piece of land with a distinct row arrangement.

Strip intercropping – In this method, we will grow more than one crop in strips to allow independent cultivation in the same piece of land.

 Parallel intercropping – In this method, both selected intercrop and main crops are with different growing habits. Hence, there will be zero competition for the available resources. So, both crops can express their full yield potential.

 Basic pointers to put in mind when you decide to practice inter-cropping on your farm.

  • Growing tall crops with bushy crops.
  • Planting shallow-rooted crops as the intercrop.
  • Long-duration crops should be intercropped with short-duration crops.
  • The selected main crop and the intercrop should be of different families to help with pest and disease control.

What are the Advantages of intercropping?

  • Better utilization of available resources, therefore, increases productivity
  • Mitigate losses where the failure of any one of the crops fails.
  • Enhance soil fertility.
  • Better utilization of available space.
  • Provides extra income for the farmer.
  • To some extent, the pests and diseases of the main crop get controlled.
  • Minimizes the chances of soil crust formation and prevents soil erosion.
  • Improved weed management.

The downside of intercropping (disadvantages)

  • Mechanization or what we could call the use of machines might not be possible on the farm.
  • Due to different maturity times, harvesting might pose a challenge.
  • Sometimes intercrops work as alternate hosts for various pests and diseases.
  • Intercropping might turn out to be labor-intensive.
  • There might be competition for nutrients between the main crop and the intercrop.

Intercropping brings crop interaction and brings an improvement in the overall health of the crops. Are you practicing crop rotation on your farm share your experiences with us?

Benefits of using compost as manure on your farm

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Composting is the breakdown of any organic material over time; this organic matter includes a mixture of plants, weeds, ash, fresh vegetable wastes from the kitchen, manure from animal shed, wood, and soil. Good compost has phosphate from ash, Nitrogen from green plants, and potassium from manure and wood.

Benefits of compost

  • It increases soil structural stability
  • Compost is readily available and free to make especially in remote areas
  • Compost stops soil erosion by increasing the organic carbon that holds the soil together
  • Compost gives nutrients to crops 
  • Improves soil moisture holding capacity     
  • Compost keeps the environment clean
  • Compost can be used on the farm over a long period of time as opposed to commercial inorganic fertilizers.

How to make good compost

  • Compost should be made in pits – a pit that is 2m long by 1 m wide and 1 meter deep is ideal but the length depends on the materials available.
  • Layer each type of waste on top of each other, the first layer at the bottom of the pit can be forest soil. The second can be leaves or grass which should be compacted by walking on top of it the third layer of manure then ash, and a top layer of soil. Except for the first layer, each layer should be watered with three cans of water before adding the next layer. These layers are then repeated in the same order until the pit is full.
  • Cover the top with mulch or polythene sheet to keep the compost moist
  • Compost should be turned in once monthly.
  • Good quality compost should take 4 months to get ready. Ready compost has the following distinct characteristics; Smell: nice and earthly with no bad ( sour or rotten ) smells; Feel: moist and earthly not wet and sloppy or dry and powdery; Appearance: original organic materials not distinguishable pile contains soil-sized particles; Temperature: pile stop getting hot

Compost contributes to the fertility of your soil by adding organic matter and nutrients such as nitrogen that are trapped by bacteria in the soil. Make your own compost following the simple steps described above using materials available in your home. This will replenish your soil with essential nutrients and increase humus in the soil making your plants flourish and healthy.