Crop Diversification
This technical guide explains how growing a wider range of crops can reduce reliance on a single crop, diversify household diets and help families cope with climate risks.
Objective:
Reduce reliance on a single crop, diversify household diets and strengthen households’ ability to cope with climate risks.
Principle:
Grow several crop species and varieties on a plot or farm, choosing them to suit the seasons, available water, soil conditions, household needs and potential markets.
Implementation – Key Steps
- Identify crops suited to local conditions and household food needs.
- Plan where and when to grow each crop to spread out harvests.
- Where appropriate, grow a mix of vegetables, legumes, aromatic herbs and local species.
- Maintain a range of varieties and observe how they respond to drought or heavy rainfall.
- Review harvests, water requirements and any difficulties encountered.
Precautions and Practical Advice:
Grow only as many crops as the available labour and water can support, and choose species with the people involved, taking local knowledge and practices into account.
Benefits for Climate Adaptation:
Crop diversification improves food security, spreads risk across several crops and can provide additional sources of income.
Indicative Investment Cost:
Costs depend on the seeds or plants needed and any work required to prepare the site, with locally available seeds helping to keep expenses down.
LESSONS FROM THE AIN LAHJAR ASSOCIATION’S EXPERIENCE
During the project, the Ain Lahjar Association demonstrated crop diversification on a small plot at the field school using locally familiar varieties suited to the area’s climate, water and soil conditions, and participants monitored the results over time.