Farming on a Slope

SALT is a package technology of soil conservation and food production, integrating differing soil conservation measures in just one setting. Basically, SALT is a method of growing field and permanent crops in 3-5 m wide bands between contoured rows of nitrogen fixing trees. The nitrogen fixing trees are thickly planted in double rows to make hedgerows. When a hedge is 1.5-2 m tall, it is cut down to about 75 cm and the cuttings (tops) are placed in the alleyways to serve as organic fertilizer.

SALT, An Agroforestry Scheme: SALT is a diversified farming system which can be considered agroforestry since rows of permanent shrubs like coffee, cacao, citrus and other fruit trees are dispersed throughout the farm plot. The strips not occupied by permanent crops, however, are planted alternately to cereals (corn, upland rice, sorghum, etc.) or other crops (sweet potato, melon, pineapple, castor bean, etc.) and legumes (soybean, mung bean, peanut, etc.). This cyclical cropping provides the farmer some harvest throughout the year. SALT also includes the planting of trees for timber and firewood on surrounding boundaries. Examples of tree species for “boundary forest” in SALT are mahogany, Cassuarina, Sesbania, Cashew, etc.