Intercropping in upland Burundi, central Africa

Intercropping in upland Burundi. Banana, manioc, maize, amaranth, etc, are regularly intercropped by smallholders.  This is a traditional method of augmenting soil fertility and porosity, and of assuring seasonally appropriate crops. As well, problems of  brief, radical climate shifts are often ameliorated.

This photo shows an agronomist colleague identifying the different crops and soil types found within a plot, as part of a rapid appraisal of smallholders near Gitaga town in central Burundi.

These kinds of rapid assessments in which farmers, researchers and project workers  participate can be an excellent method of deriving focussed data for use both in research and project work.  Problems and possibilities as seen from the perspectives of the different actors (smallholder, researcher, project worker) can be readily assessed and then acted upon.