Crop production on terrace walls to improve food security and livelihoods

Millions of hillside farmers around the world cultivate crops on narrow terraces, whose walls are often underutilized. Scientists Chapagrain et al. recently showed that cultivation of wall-climbing crops (e.g. chayote squash, pumpkin, yam) and wall-descending crops (e.g. ricebean, cowpea, horsegram, blackgram) can enhance economic returns to farmers. The adoption of this promising practice can improve the ecosystems and the well-being of terrace farmers.