Alley cropping

1. University of Agriculture Faisalabad Pakistan Sohail Ilyas

2. An Agroforestry Practice Alley Cropping

3. Presentation Objectives Define alley cropping Describe the benefits Explain the basic design considerations Identify potential crops and species Alley Cropping 3

4. What is Agroforestry? … the intentional combining of agriculture and working trees to create sustainable farming systems . Alley Cropping Alley cropping 4 Forest farming

5. What is Alley Cropping? … the planting of trees in two or more sets of single or multiple rows with agronomic, horticultural, or forage crops cultivated in the alleys between the rows of woody plants. Alley Cropping Poplar and wheat 5

6. Alley Cropping is not….. Alley Cropping Corn with two pecans 6

7. Why use Alley Cropping? Alley Cropping Improves crop diversity, and economic returns Increases net carbon storage in the soil and vegetation Improves utilization and recycling of soil nutrients Provides or enhances wildlife habitat 7

8. Benefits Alley Cropping Improve Crop Diversity, and Economic Returns Allows production of annual crops for needed cash flow while at the same time growing longer term woody investments. Allows two annual crops to be grown on the same acreage such as a forage or row crop and nut or fruit crops Allows crop diversity which reduces risk 8

9. Benefits Alley Cropping Increases net carbon storage in the soil and vegetation Roots, crop residue, leaves and forage add to soil carbon Tree component adds to total potential carbon stored on site through long term sequestration in the above ground and below ground biomass 9

10. Benefits Alley Cropping Improves utilization and recycling of soil nutrients Tree roots are generally deeper than crop roots Nutrients and chemicals that pass through crop root zone are intercepted by trees Nutrients are utilized by the trees and recycled back to the soil surface by leaf drop 10

11. Benefits Alley Cropping 11 Stops Soil Erosion Trees stop soil erosion Control the speed of water Control wind erosion

12. Benefits Alley Cropping Provides or enhances wildlife habitat Provides food and cover through a diversity of plants Creates vertical habitat structure Improves pollinator foraging and nesting habitat Builds travel corridors for wildlife movement to connect to other food, cover, or water resources 12

13. Design Considerations Alley Cropping Light requirement for the crop or forage to be grown in the alley way Root Competition between crops Type and size of the equipment being used Tree Species Shade Produced Root Competition Black walnut Low Low Pecan Medium Medium Popular Medium High Pine High Medium-high 13

14. Tree Criteria for Alley Cropping Alley Cropping Marketable Yields annual or periodic commercial product (wood, nuts or fruit) Appropriate shade for the alley crop Minimal roots at soil surface Adapted to site and soils Foliage residue does not interfere with alley crop Growth requirements complement alley crop 14

15. Potential Trees Alley Cropping Walnut Pecan Pine Poplar Tropical: Coffee Coconut Palm Papaya Coffee Walnut Pine 15

16. Potential Alley Way Crops Alley Cropping Row/cereal crops (corn, soybeans, milo, wheat) Forage crops (legumes, grasses) Specialty crops (vegetables, flowers) Pecans and hay 16

17. For Additional Information Alley Cropping Where is there more information on alley cropping? A number of web sites are available to provide more detailed information on alley cropping systems. Here are a few : USDA National Agroforestry Center http://www.unl.edu/nac/alleycropping.htm The Center for Agroforestry http://www.centerforagroforestry.org/practices/ac.php Association for Temperate Agroforestry http://www.aftaweb.org/alley_cropping.php The Overstory http://agroforestry.net/overstory/osprev.html 17

18. Thank You Alley Cropping 18