Ten years experience with alley farming in Central America

The first alley cropping trial in Latin America was set up in May of 1982 with Erythrina poeppigiana Walpers O.F. Cook and Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) WalpMaize, phaseolus beans, and cassava were used as test crops. Bean performance under alley farming was generally superior to maize, significantly outyielding control plots. Although above ground biomass produced by maize was significantly higher under alley farming, maize yield was equivalent to control plots. Starting from 1983, similar trials were set up on farmer’s fields using Gliricidia sepium and a maize-bean rotation. Alley farming generally gave both higher mean maize and bean yields and higher yield stability than controls plots. In 1990 additional alley farming trials farming trials were carried out in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

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