The Bounty of Banana-Coffee Intercropping

IITA's R4D reports:

Growing coffee and banana forms the economic base for most of the small-scale farmers in much of Uganda and the surrounding highlands of Rwanda,Burundi, northwest Tanzania, and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo...The crops complement one another in terms of socioeconomic benefits to growers and farm families. Bananas provide permanent food and income security, doubling as a primary food and cash crop, and providing a modest but continuous cash flow throughout the year. Coffee gives a cash boom twice a year, helping farmers acquire funds for more expensive items such as infrastructure, farm inputs, transport equipment, and large social events...[continue reading(PDF)]

Related articles by Zemanta

• Central Africa Free Trade Zone?