Agroforestry Services: Contour hedgerow  Agroforestry Services: Living fence  Fodder: Bank  Management: Coppice  Minor Global Crop

A plant of the tropics and subtropics, it can also be grown as a summer annual in temperate areas. It the tropics it can be found at elevations from 200 - 2,300 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 15 - 31°c, but can tolerate 12 - 38°c[418 ]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 700 - 2,500mm[418 ]. Succeeds in any well-drained, moderately fertile soil in a sunny position[200 ]. Plants are moderately drought-resistant[418 ]. Commonly grown as an ornamental, the plant has escaped from cultivation and become a weed in many areas of the tropics and subtropics[360 ]. The plant can flower and produce seed all year round[303 ].

Carbon Farming

• Agroforestry Services: Contour hedgerow  Alley cropping systems on the contour of slopes.
• Agroforestry Services: Living fence  Simply managed rows of shrubs and trees.
• 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.