Alley cropping
Alley cropping is also known as hedgerow intercropping system. Hedgerows of trees or shrubs (usually double hedgerows) are grown at intervals (usually 4-6 m) along the contours. The strips or alleys between the hedgerows are planted with agricultural crops (annuals and/or perennials).
A good example of this system is the Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT).
One or two rows of woody perennials are grown as hedgerows, either from seeds or cuttings, along the contours. Contour lines are located using an Aframe tool. The recommended horizontal distance between contour hedgerows is 46 m or about 1.5 m vertical distance. At an average of 5 m interval (horizontal distance) and 1 m width of hedgerows, about 20% of the total area is occupied by the hedgerows. For the alleys, the recommended cropping pattern is to plant perennial crops (e.g., coffee, fruit trees, etc.) in every third alley while the other two alleys can be devoted to annual crops. This makes a spatial ratio of about 20% hedgerows, 25% perennials and 55% annuals.