Interim Report to UNEP on Studies of Intercropping on Farming Systems 1975

The objective of the IITA Farming Systems Program is to replace existing food crop production systems by more efficient systems that attain good yields of improved crop varieties on a sustained basis through:- developing suitable land clearing and soil management techniques that minimize erosion and soil deterioration; use of appropriate crop combinations, sequences and management practices that minimize use of costly inputs e.g. fertilizers and pesticides; development of appropriate technologies that increase agricultural productivity while minimizing drudgery, and accurate monitoring of environmental conditions and changes in such a way as to reliably relate these to crop performance, guide timing of operations and for predictive purposes.