Page 42 - EER-2-3

Explora: Environment

and Resource

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Diversifying cropping systems to enhance

productivity using agroforestry trees: A case
study of maize–pigeon pea intercropping in

Ghana

Felix Frimpong * , Eric Owusu Danquah 1 , Shadrack Kwadwo Amponsah 1 ,
1,2
Theophilus Frimpong 1 , Joel Adu 1 , Frank Osei Danquah 3 , Natson Eyram
Amengor 1 , and Patricia Amankwaa-Yeboah 1
1 Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Crops Research Institute, Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana
2 Department of Plant Resources Development, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Environmental
Management, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research College of Science and Technology,
Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana
3 Department of Forest Resources Technology, Faculty of Renewable and Natural Resources, Kwame
Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana

Abstract
Amid growing global challenges such as population growth, climate change, and
limited natural resources, the need for sustainable farming systems to ensure food
security and environmental conservation has become increasingly critical. This study
*Corresponding author: – conducted in the forest zones of Ghana during the major and minor cropping
Felix Frimpong
(f.frimpong@cropsresearch.org) seasons of 2023 – evaluates the effects of integrating Cajanus cajan (also known as
pigeon pea), a leguminous shrub, into a maize cropping system. This maize–pigeon
Citation: Frimpong F, Danquah EO,
Amponsah SK, et al. Diversifying pea (MPP) intercropping approach is part of an innovative integrated soil fertility
cropping systems to enhance management strategy aimed at improving maize yield, farm profitability, and climate
productivity using agroforestry resilience of smallholder farmers. A split-plot experimental design was employed,
trees: A case study of maize–
pigeon pea intercropping in with the cropping systems – MPP intercrop and sole maize – as main plots, and varying
Ghana. Explora Environ Resour. recommended inorganic fertilizer (full rate [FR], half rate [HR], and a no-fertilizer
2025;2(3):025130026. control) as subplots. The findings revealed a significant association between the
doi: 10.36922/EER025130026
MPP intercropping system and the rate of inorganic fertilizer application on maize
Received: March 25, 2025 growth and yield, with improved and comparable maize productivity observed
Revised: April 27, 2025 when either the HR or FR fertilizer was applied. This suggests that integrating pigeon
peas and their biomass could reduce the recommended fertilizer rate by half, thereby
Accepted: May 8, 2025
enhancing farmers’ income and profitability while promoting sustainable maize
Published online: June 5, 2025 production amid climate change. Future research should explore long-term soil
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). fertility dynamics and broader agroecological applications.
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution Keywords: Agroforestry; Climate change; Integrated soil fertility management; Maize;
License, permitting distribution, Pigeon pea; Resource utilization
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is
properly cited.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with 1. Background and rationale
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional The escalating global demand for food production requires urgent attention to the
affiliations. challenges associated with agricultural intensification, particularly in resource-limited

Volume 2 Issue 3 (2025) 1 doi: 10.36922/EER025130026