Alley cropping: potential for plantain and banana production

Wilson, G.F., & Swennen, R. (1989). Alley cropping: potential for plantain and banana production. In Alley Farming in the Humid and Subhumid Tropics: Proceedings of an international workshop held at Ibadan, Nigeria, 10-14 March 1986, Ottawa, Canada. IDRC (P. 37-41).

plantains and cooking bananas are important carbohydrate food sources in the humid tropics. They are traditionally grown in bush-fallow rotational systems, multistory cropping systems, or backyard gardens. Mulching is shown to be beneficial for plantains and bananas. Alley cropping with legwninous trees and shrubs is proposed as a source of mulch. Three concepts for managing plantains with woody legumes are being tested