Agroforestry Services: Alley crop  Agroforestry Services: Contour hedgerow  Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen  Fodder: Bank  Management: Coppice  Minor Global Crop

A plant of the moist to wet tropics, where it is found at elevations from sea level up to 2,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 28°c, but can tolerate 12 - 36°c[418 ]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,300 - 2,200mm, but tolerates 1,100 - 3,500mm[418 ]. Prefers a sunny position, but is tolerant of light shade[303 , 418 ]. Capable of surviving on poorly drained soils with waterlogging[303 ]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 7, tolerating 4 - 8[418 ]. Established plants can tolerate fairly long dry spells[303 ]. Tolerant of up to 4 months drought a year[418 ]. Plants are moderately able to survive fires[303 ]. Good weed control is required during the first 6 months of sowing since the plants are relatively slow to establish; once established, they require little attention[303 ]. A two year old stand of plants with a spacing of 50cm x 400cm can produce about 6.8 tonnes of dry woody stems per hectare for fuel[303 ]. Plants can be cut more frequently than every 3 months, but preferably not at intervals of less than 40 days. With an excellent coppicing capacity, the shrub will survive under this cutting regime for many years[303 ]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[755 ].

Carbon Farming

• Agroforestry Services: Alley crop  Integrates annual crops with rows of perennials.
• Agroforestry Services: Contour hedgerow  Alley cropping systems on the contour of slopes.
• Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen  Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.
• Fodder: Bank  Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.
• Management: Coppice  Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
• Minor Global Crop  These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.