Rain Forest Clearing
The climate at the equator, in regions like the Congo, Indonesia, and the Amazon basin, is hot and humid nearly all year long. Annual rainfall often exceeds 120 inches during the long rainy season. ECHO simulates equatorial rainfall by use of an overhead sprinkler irrigation system to supplement the local average of 52 inches.
A variety of vegetable and root crops is possible in rain forest clearings. Winged bean, a multiple use climbing vegetable, can be grown on trellises. Katuk, a popular Indonesian leafy vegetable, grows upright in clumps. Root crops include taro, cassava, sweet potato, and true yams. Many forest clearing crops, like these root crops, are propagated by cuttings or tubers rather than from seeds. Tropical fruits shown here include banana, jackfruit, wax jambu, Malabar chestnut, and coconut. Cacao (the source of chocolate) and cinnamon are possible cash crops in the tropics.
Slash and burn farms and gardens in rain forest clearings are short-lived. The exposed soil is easily eroded and quickly depleted of nutrients. Weeds also develop rapidly. Mulching the slash, rather than burning it, and intercropping with a leguminous cover crop, such as velvet bean, provide cover and surface mulch. The mulch and ground cover reduce raindrop erosion and retard weed growth. An added benefit is improved soil fertility from mulch decomposition and the nitrogen-fixing capability of the leguminous cover crop.
