---
title: "Intercropping — AP Human Geography Definition & Examples"
description: "Intercropping means growing two or more crops in the same field at once. Learn how it contrasts with monoculture and crop rotation on the AP Human Geography exam."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-hug/key-terms/intercropping"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP Human Geography"
unit: "Unit 5"
---

# Intercropping — AP Human Geography Definition & Examples

## Definition

Intercropping is the practice of growing two or more crops together in the same field during the same growing season, boosting biodiversity and soil health. In AP Human Geography (Unit 5), it's the classic contrast to monocropping and a hallmark of many subsistence farming systems.

## What It Is

Intercropping means planting two or more different crops in the same field at the same time. Think of a farmer in [Central America](/ap-hug/unit-5/agricultural-origins-diffusions/study-guide/0w8PoDg8fpwGgA1KPnjV "fv-autolink") growing corn, beans, and squash together. The corn stalks give the beans something to climb, the beans fix nitrogen into the soil, and the squash leaves shade out weeds. Each crop uses different resources and grows in different ways, so the field as a whole produces more and the soil stays healthier.

In [AP Human Geography](/ap-hug "fv-autolink") terms, intercropping is a form of **polyculture**, the opposite of [monoculture](/ap-hug/key-terms/monoculture "fv-autolink") (monocropping). The CED frames agricultural production regions by whether they reflect subsistence or commercial practices (EK PSO-5.C.1), and intercropping lines up strongly with the subsistence side. Subsistence farmers grow food to feed their families, so variety and reliability matter more than producing one cash crop at massive scale. Commercial agriculture, by contrast, tends toward monoculture because machines, markets, and economies of scale all favor one uniform crop.

## Why It Matters

Intercropping lives in **[Unit 5](/ap-hug/unit-5 "fv-autolink"): Agriculture and Rural Land-Use Patterns and Processes**, specifically Topics 5.1 (Introduction to Agriculture) and 5.6 (Agricultural Production Regions). It supports two learning objectives. Under **5.1.A**, you explain how [physical geography](/ap-hug/key-terms/physical-geography "fv-autolink") shapes agricultural practices, and intercropping is a direct response to tropical environments where soils are fragile and a single crop failure would be devastating. Under **5.6.A**, you explain how economic forces influence agriculture, and intercropping marks the subsistence end of the subsistence-to-commercial spectrum that defines agricultural production regions (EK PSO-5.C.1). If you can use intercropping as evidence that a farming system is subsistence-oriented, labor-intensive, and ecologically adaptive, you're doing exactly what the exam wants.

## Connections

### [Crop Rotation (Unit 5)](/ap-hug/key-terms/crop-rotation)

These two get mixed up constantly, but the difference is space versus time. Intercropping mixes crops in the same field at the same time. [Crop rotation](/ap-hug/key-terms/crop-rotation "fv-autolink") changes which crop a field grows from one season to the next. Both protect soil fertility, just on different schedules.

### Polyculture (Unit 5)

Intercropping is polyculture in action. Polyculture is the umbrella idea of growing multiple species together, and intercropping is the specific field-level technique that does it. On the exam, treat intercropping as your concrete example when a question asks about polyculture.

### [Commercial Agriculture (Unit 5)](/ap-hug/key-terms/commercial-agriculture)

Intercropping is the foil to commercial monoculture. EK PSO-5.C.1 defines production [regions](/ap-hug/unit-1/regional-analysis/study-guide/KBREMrUx0XlbNmfha937 "fv-autolink") by subsistence versus commercial practices, and intercropping sits firmly on the subsistence side. Commercial farms plant one crop because combines and global markets demand uniformity. Intercropped fields are hard to mechanize but easy to live off.

### [Sustainable Agriculture (Unit 5)](/ap-hug/key-terms/sustainable-agriculture)

Intercropping shows up again late in Unit 5 when you study responses to agriculture's environmental costs. Because it builds [biodiversity](/ap-hug/key-terms/biodiversity "fv-autolink") and reduces the need for chemical inputs, it's a go-to example of a sustainable practice that pushes back against industrial monoculture.

## On the AP Exam

Intercropping usually appears in multiple-choice questions as a distractor or answer choice alongside crop rotation, monoculture, and shifting cultivation, so your main job is keeping those definitions straight. A typical stem describes a farmer planting maize and beans together and asks you to identify the practice, or asks which practice is most associated with subsistence agriculture in tropical climates. No released FRQ has used the term verbatim, but it works well as supporting evidence in free-response answers about subsistence agriculture, soil conservation, biodiversity, or sustainable alternatives to monoculture. If an FRQ asks you to describe an environmental benefit of a non-industrial farming practice, intercropping is a clean, specific example to name and explain.

## Intercropping vs Crop Rotation

Intercropping and crop rotation both fight soil exhaustion, but they work on different axes. Intercropping varies crops across SPACE, with multiple crops sharing one field in the same season. Crop rotation varies crops across TIME, with one field cycling through different crops in successive seasons (corn this year, soybeans next year). A quick test for MCQs is to ask whether the crops are growing simultaneously. If yes, it's intercropping. If the crops take turns, it's rotation.

## Key Takeaways

- Intercropping means growing two or more crops together in the same field during the same growing season, like the corn-beans-squash combination in Central America.
- It is a form of polyculture and the direct opposite of monoculture, which is the single-crop system that dominates commercial agriculture.
- Intercropping is strongly associated with subsistence farming, where feeding a family reliably matters more than maximizing output of one cash crop.
- The benefits are ecological. Different crops use different nutrients and growth patterns, so intercropping improves soil health, increases biodiversity, and reduces the risk of total crop failure.
- Don't confuse it with crop rotation. Intercropping mixes crops in one field at the same time, while crop rotation changes the crop in a field from season to season.

## FAQs

### What is intercropping in AP Human Geography?

Intercropping is growing two or more crops in the same field during the same growing season. In Unit 5, it's a form of polyculture associated with subsistence agriculture, and it improves soil health and biodiversity by combining crops with different resource needs.

### What is the difference between intercropping and crop rotation?

Intercropping grows multiple crops at the same time in the same field, while crop rotation grows different crops in the same field across different seasons. Both protect soil fertility, but intercropping varies crops across space and rotation varies them across time.

### Is intercropping the same as polyculture?

Almost. Polyculture is the broader concept of cultivating multiple species together, and intercropping is the specific technique of planting them in one field simultaneously. Every intercropped field is polyculture, and it's the example you should reach for on the exam.

### Is intercropping used in commercial agriculture?

Mostly no. Commercial agriculture leans heavily on monoculture because machinery, processing, and global markets favor one uniform crop. Intercropping is far more common in subsistence systems, though it's gaining attention as a sustainable agriculture practice.

### What is a real-world example of intercropping?

The classic example is the 'Three Sisters' system of corn, beans, and squash grown together in Mesoamerica. The corn supports the climbing beans, the beans add nitrogen to the soil, and the squash shades the ground to suppress weeds and hold moisture.

## Related Study Guides

- [5.6 Agricultural Production Regions](/ap-hug/unit-5/agricultural-production-regions/study-guide/JKrHiraHjz8JNudVR6xC)

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