Intercropping
Topic: Land Reforms, the Green Revolution and Farm Subsidies · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Intercropping means growing two or more crops together on the same field at the same time, in a definite row pattern. For example, a few rows of one crop are followed by a few rows of another. The crops are chosen so they do not compete much. One may have deep roots and the other shallow roots, or one may be tall and the other short. This makes the best use of land, sunlight, water and nutrients. It also helps diversify cropping away from a single crop.
Example
A farmer in Madhya Pradesh sows soybean and pigeon pea (arhar) in alternating rows in the kharif season. Kharif crops are sown with the monsoon. Each crop can be sown, looked after and harvested separately. The pulse also adds nitrogen to the soil.
Don't confuse with
- Mixed cropping: the crops are sown together without any row pattern, often from mixed seed. The main aim is to reduce the risk of total crop failure, not to get the most out of the land.
- Multiple cropping: this means growing crops one after another on the same field in a year, such as kharif paddy followed by rabi wheat. It does not mean growing them side by side.
Related concepts
- Crop rotation
- Mixed cropping
- Micro-irrigation
- Evergreen Revolution
- Second Green Revolution
- Gene Revolution
- Yield gap
- Precision farming
- Digital agriculture
- Custom hiring centre