ABSTRACT
Multiple cropping often requires more labor, allelopathic effects may occur, herbicides can be used on intercrops only with great care, shading effects may reduce yields, and there is sometimes increased occurrence of diseases and other pests. There is ample historical evidence that multiple cropping, a common practice in traditional agriculture systems in most tropical areas today, is an ancient practice. Various forms of multiple cropping were probably used by ancient traditional farmers long before monoculture become common. Much of the traditional agriculture in developing countries involves multiple cropping strategies. For multiple cropping to be advantageous to the traditional farmer there must be some complementarity between species. Flooding may play an important role in some multiple cropping systems. When multiple cropping is coupled with scheduling, the use of spaces becomes more continuous. A common cropping system in Taiwan is two crops of rice followed by two to three upland crops of vegetables, with 4-5 crops per year.
