Inga alley cropping

Inga alley cropping refers to planting agricultural crops between rows of Inga trees. It has been promoted by Mike Hands. Inga alley cropping refers to planting agricultural crops between rows of Inga trees. It has been promoted by Mike Hands. Using the Inga tree for alley cropping has been proposed as an alternative to the much more ecologically destructive slash and burn cultivation. The technique has been found to increase yields. It is sustainable agriculture as it allows the same plot to be cultivated over and over again thus eliminating the need for burning of the rainforests to get fertile plots. Inga trees are native to many parts of Central and South America. Inga grows well on the acid soils of the tropical rainforest and former rainforest. They are leguminous and fix nitrogen into a form usable by plants. Mycorrhiza growing within the roots (arbuscular mycorrhiza) was found to take up spare phosphorus, allowing it to be recycled into the soil. Other benefits of Inga include the fact that it is fast growing with thick leaves which, when left on the ground after pruning, form a thick cover that protects both soil and roots from the sun and heavy rain. It branches out to form a thick canopy so as to cut off light from the weeds below and withstands careful pruning year after year. The technique was first developed and trialled by tropical ecologist Mike Hands in Costa Rica in the late 1980s and early '90s. Research funding from the EEC allowed him to experiment with species of Inga. Although alley cropping had been widely researched, it was thought that the tough pinnate leaves of the Inga tree would not decompose quickly enough. As the crops grow, so does the Inga. When the crops are harvested the Inga is allowed to grow back. Once more it closes the canopy, is pruned, and the cycle is repeated, time and again. Leaves pruned from the tree decompose on the ground releasing phosphorus for crops. Fungi take up phosphorus to repeat the cycle. Using this system, not only do the farmers grow their basic crops of maize and beans, but also cash crops. Previously this was not possible because when the plot was a distance from the farmer's home, consistent guarding and tending could be too challenging. Now with the same plot being used continuously, it can be near home, thus allowing an entire family to help to tend and guard it, even when there are young children. The Inga is used as hedges and pruned when large enough to provide a mulch in which bean and corn seeds are planted. This results in both improving crop yields and the retention of soil fertility on the plot that is being farmed. Hands had seen the devastating consequences that are caused by slash and burn agriculture while working in Honduras; this new technique seemed to offer the solution to the environmental and economic problems faced by so many slash and burn farmers.