Crop production in the tropics: A review

Intensive land use and concomitant land degradation are strongly undermining the sustainability of current crop production systems in the tropics. Thus, finding alternative cropping strategies to overcome soil and environmental stresses is an integral part of the ongoing process of maintaining and improving crop productivity. In this paper, major features of crops and crop production systems were reviewed. Production systems such as pastures, perennial crops, and agroforestry were found to be highly effective in promoting high and stable crop productivity, restoring and/or enhancing soil fertility, and minimizing erosion risk.