Agriculture News

Alley cropping in Indonesia. Photo by H.M. Shelton

Alley cropping is a planting method in which widely-spaced rows of trees or shrubs  are planted, with food crops planted in the alleyways between the rows.  The roots of the trees or shrubs  are "nitrogen-fixing," which means they restore nitrogen to the top layer of the soil so that the same piece of land can be used year after year.  In the Virgin Islands, another advantage of alley cropping in that it can provide some food crops with filtered sunlight where direct sunlight might be too harsh.  Alley cropping is also known as hedgerow inter-cropping or just inter-cropping.  

Picture Source:
Shelton, H.M. Calliandra calothyrsus used for alley cropping in Indonesia.. 
           N.d. Photograph. http://bebasbanjir2025.wordpress.com, Indonesia. 
           Web. 8 Jul 2013. <http://bebasbanjir2025.wordpress.com/
           teknologi-pengendalian-banjir/budidaya-lorong/>.

 Visit these sites for more information or google "alley cropping" for more sources:

• Sustainable Harvest 
• Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
• The Inga Foundation

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Time to give breadfruit a second look: 

"Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is a member of the Moraceae (fig) family…. Baked or roasted in a fire, the fruit has a starchy texture and fragrance that is reminiscent of fresh baked bread.

The multipurpose trees are easy to grow, beneficial to the environment, and produce an abundance of nutritious, tasty fruit. They also provide construction materials, medicine, fabric, glue, insect repellent, animal feed, and more. The trees begin bearing in 3 to 5 years and are productive for many decades. This 'tree of bread' has the potential to play a significant role in alleviating hunger in the tropics.The flesh is creamy white to yellow.  

Fruit are typically mature and ready to cook and eat as a starchy staple in 15 - 19 weeks.  Ripe fruit have yellow or yellow-brown skin and soft, sweet, creamy flesh that can be eaten raw or cooked.

Carbohydrates are the main source of energy with low levels of protein and fat and a moderate glycemic index.  It is a good source of dietary fiber, potassium, calcium, and magnesium with small amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and iron.  Some varieties contain small amounts of folic acid.  Yellow-fleshed varieties can be a good source of provitamin A carotenoids.

Source:

"Breadfruit Institute." National Tropical Botanical Garden. National Tropical Botanical Garden, n.d. Web. 14 Jul 2013. <http://ntbg.org/breadfruit/breadfruit/>. 

Visit this site for more information or google "breadfruit" for more sources: Breadfruit Institute