This is an agroforestry system similar in approach to the contour hedgerow system, in which food crops are grown in alleys formed by hedgerows of trees and shrubs, preferably legumes. The hedgerows are cut back at planting and periodically pruned during cropping to prevent shading and to reduce competition with the associated food crops. The hedgerows are allowed to grow freely to cover the land when there are no crops (Kang et al., 1984). The alley cropping technique retains the basic features of the traditional bush fallow system and can therefore be considered as an improved bush fallow system (Kang et al., 1989).
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