Farmers in Africa grow different crops together to make best use of the land and maximize productivity – called “Intercropping”. The most common combination is planting Maize, a squash (commonly Pumpkin), and Beans.

Each crop plays an important role: The Maize gives the beans the structure to climb on; the Beans absorb nutrients (nitrogen) from the air and add to the soil; while the Pumpkin covers the ground to keep it moist and reduce weeds.

The indigenous people of North America also practice the same methods which is called.........

the “Three Sisters”

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Planting Maize        Soaking Maize seeds       Mounds

Experiment 2: "Soil Amendment  [watermelon in clay soil]

Soil Amendment is the process of cultivating an available growth environment  of soil to optimize  the farming of a particular crop. In this experiment, we plant watermelon in clay soil which is amended in two models, Cow Manure and Leaf Mulch.

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Cow Manure Wk 4 Progress

Photos