FARMERS URGED TO EMBRACE INTERCROPPING FOR IMPROVED SOIL FERTILITY AND CROP PRODUCTION
A garden of intercropped maize, groundnuts and okra in Opi Parish Moyo sub-county.
Araba Kalsum
Moyo
Authorities in Moyo District have urged farmers to practice intercropping and adopt proper farming techniques, noting that planting crops such as legumes alongside root crops like cassava helps improve soil fertility while also controlling pests and diseases.
Anzuvuku Savior, the Parish Chief of Moyo Sub-county, advised farmers to plant more cover crops to enhance soil fertility and increase agricultural productivity.
“The traditional culture of farming in our region is not good because we do not have proper farming skills. As farmers, we need to learn mixed farming and plant more cover crops. For example, planting maize together with groundnuts. When these crops are harvested, the crop residues decompose and act as manure, which improves soil fertility,” Anzuvuku advised.
Meanwhile, Wani Alex Yaba, a Production Officer, emphasized that farmers should carefully select the crops they combine when practicing intercropping.
“Intercropping is one way of promoting integrated soil fertility, water management, and pest management. However, we sometimes face challenges with the crop combinations farmers choose. For intercropping to be effective, a farmer should not plant maize together with sorghum because both crops are affected by similar diseases. Growing them together creates a favorable environment for the diseases to spread. Therefore, intercropping should be done using crops from different families,” Wani noted.
Iranya Charles, a farm specialist and Parish Councilor for Afoji Parish, also encouraged farmers to continue embracing intercropping as a sustainable farming practice.
“Intercropping has been practiced for many years, even during the time of our grandparents. It plays a significant role in improving soil fertility and increasing crop yields. I therefore urge farmers to continue practicing mixed farming so that we can achieve better harvests and improve food security in our communities,” Iranya emphasized.
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