Shading: a traditional method of microclimate manipulation.

Abstract

Microclimate management and manipulation are among the methods which have traditionally been employed on small plots in low-input agriculture. Methods employed by smallholders to shade soil, seedlings, plants and crops to protect them from environmental stresses and to improve their yield capacity are described. Specific examples collected from Tanzanian practice, including maize, millet, wheat, potatoes and sunflowers grown under trees, are described as evidence of the use of shading methods in traditional farming. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)