Hedgerow intercropping technology for soil fertility improvement and management: a synthesis of various studies conducted in Kenya.

Abstract

Due to the ever declining soil fertility status as a result of human and animal population pressure in Kenya, hedgerow intercropping was proposed as a low input input crop production strategy. Results oflong term hedgerow intercropping experiments have shown that the integration of tree species and shrubs particularly N2 fixing species led to considerable maize grain yield and soil fertility improvement compared with the control (no hedgerow) under P deficient soils in humid and sub-humid zones. The results further indicated that supplementation of hedgerow biomass with low P fertilizer and farmyard manure inputs can sustain maize grain yield at relatively high levels. The management of the hedges was crucial in determining their effects on maize crop. Additional research is required for adaptability trials as a prerequisite to the development of extension packages and decision support system for increased farmer adoptability.