Double the Harvest, Double the Income: Intercropping for Yield, Income, and Security
As climate change intensifies and traditional farming systems face increasing pressure, a quiet revolution is taking root in the fields of eastern India. Smallholder farmers are embracing innovative intercropping practices that not only double their harvests but also strengthen their resilience and boost household incomes. Led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), this transformation is reshaping agriculture across regions in India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan—offering a new model for sustainable, diversified farming.
Intercropping is the agricultural practice of growing two or more crops together on the same field during a single growing season. This method enhances productivity, optimizes the use of available resources, and reduces the risk of crop failure—making it a vital strategy for food security and sustainable agriculture.
Growing Together
Farmers are seeing similar results not only in the villages of Kishanganj but also in Coochbehar and Malda in West Bengal. Now in their second year with the CIMMYT-led intercropping project, they are experiencing substantial benefits—improved yields, additional income, and greater resilience against climate risks and the failure of any single crop.
While intercropping isn't new, this approach is different. CIMMYT and its partners, supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), promote additive intercropping in wide-row staple crops like maize across India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan.
Swaraj Dutta from Dr. Kalam Agriculture College under Bihar Agriculture University, working on the project, explains how this works:
"We help farmers adjust how they plant maize, either 60-60 cm spacing in single rows or a paired-row system at 30-90 cm. Between these crop rows, short-duration (with short life cycle) vegetables like cabbage, spinach, or legumes thrive early in the season."
Maize and More
"The intensive cultivation of rice and maize (and previously wheat) is placing significant stress on natural resources and is becoming increasingly unsustainable in the face of growing climate change challenges. Yet, many farmers continue with these practices, even as returns diminish, due to a fear of diversifying," explains Biplab Mitra of Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya (UBKV), the university supporting the intercropping project in Coochbehar and Malda districts of West Bengal.
Traditionally, maize has been grown densely and often as a monocrop following rice in these regions. However, maize's adaptability to both kharif and rabi seasons presents an opportunity to shift away from this unsustainable pattern," added Mitra. Through intercropping maize with vegetables during the rabi season, farmers are now exploring more diversified and resilient farming systems that reduce pressure on resources and improve income potential.
"We used to grow only maize after rice," says Santos Deb from Dinhata village, Coochbehar, standing proudly beside his wife Sochirani Deb. "But now, following the advice of scientists from UBKV, we intercrop. Two different crops, one cereal and one vegetable from the same field in the same season—that's something we never attempted."
On just 800 square meters, Barman adopted paired-row planting and added vegetables between maize rows. After covering input costs, he earned an additional ₹15,000–17,000 (US$180–200) for the vegetables, gained fresh food for the family, and produced fodder for their livestock. "This has been very rewarding for us. I have started growing in all my plots now," he beams. "We'll keep intercropping every rabi season throughout our lives."
Intercropping offers a crucial buffer against climate-related risks by providing farmers with a valuable source of additional income during the rabi season. Adverse weather events such as high winds, untimely late-season rains, or storms often cause maize to lodge, resulting in significant yield losses and reduced income. By adopting intercropping, farmers can cover production costs earlier in the season and minimize exposure to climate-related economic losses.
Some farmers, like Kamal Ganesh from Chapati village in Kishanganj, see intercropping as a form of security against unpredictable harvests. "I grew cabbage and cauliflower under the project. Due to unavoidable circumstances, I was delayed in applying fertilizer and irrigating my maize crop, so that the maize yield may be poor this harvest. But I've already earned a profit from the vegetables. Having a second crop in the same field acts as a safety net—if one fails, the other can still bring returns," he explains.
Looking Ahead
Researchers assert that the project's introduction of vegetable intercropping with maize offers new opportunities for diversification and resilience in the agriculture sector already stressed by climate change.
For many farmers, this is just the beginning. Alison Laing, leading the intercropping project at CIMMYT, shares her optimism: "This is only our second harvest across India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, and already we're seeing encouraging results. More and more farmers want to try it next season."
Intercropping with sugarcane, on-station research trial fields at the Indian Institute for Farming Systems Research (ICAR-IIFSR), Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India (Photo: Nima Chodon /CIMMYT)
Laing noted that further adjustments, including crop selection based on management needs, market value, and nutritional benefits, as well as efficient fertilizer use and market linkages, are being explored by researchers to enhance sustainability and broader adoption. Apart from maize, we've also introduced intercropping in sugarcane fields in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, in collaboration with the Indian Institute for Farming Systems Research (ICAR-IIFSR). We will review and analyze the results from the past two years in both maize and sugarcane practices to better understand farmers' needs and support wider adoption," she added.
This innovative approach proves that smallholder farmers can double their harvest and income while securing a more resilient future with little change in planting practices.
Further reading
The Powerful Strategy of Intercropping Maize and Watermelon
The Push-Pull Strategy: Controlling Stemborers and Striga to Increase Corn Yields
Corn Plant Information and Production
Intercropping for better soil and water management
Strip-cropping for Pest & Disease Management and Crop Resilience in Modern Agriculture