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Sustainable Harvest International
779 North Bend Road
Surry, ME 04684

P: 207.669.8254
F: 207.669.8255

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Alley Cropping is a simple technique that SHI teaches farmers  so they can restore nitrogen to the top layer of soil and use the same piece of land year after year to grow their crops.  Nitrogen-fixing trees are planted between rows of such staple crops as corn and cassava.  These trees have strong tap roots that carry nitrogen from deep in the earth up to the topsoil.  They also can provide shade for crops like coffee.  In the case of sun loving crops, such as corn (shown right), when the trees grow so tall that they are shading the crops, the farmer simply needs to cut them back.  Each time these trees are cut back to a stump, the already established tap root allows the tree to grow back stronger than ever.  The branches that are pruned can be used for firewood while the twigs and leaves can be left where they are to serve as natural mulch.

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