Landscaping farms can significantly improve cassava yields for smallholder growers who face challenges like waterlogging, soil erosion, and limited land.
In my third planting season, managing a two-acre cassava plot, I realised that proper land shaping mattered just as much as seed quality.
Weeds, water pooling, and uneven sunlight exposure were cutting my yields in half until I changed the layout.
This article shares original, well-researched insights drawn from the real-life experiences of cassava growers in Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda who have turned struggling plots into resilient food-producing systems.
If you’re working with cassava or similar crops and want to optimise your plot layout and soil health, learn more about improving land productivity through farm landscaping techniques.
Recommended: Agricultural Information for Farmers Using Franklin Electric Water Pumps and Red Lion Pumps
Table of Contents
- Understand Your Land Before You Till
- Paths That Save Energy and Protect the Crop
- Terracing on a Budget
- Smart Mulching and Ground Cover
- Composting In-Field for Faster Results
- Living Fences That Do More Than Mark Boundaries
- Raised Beds for Root Health
- Simple Water Management with Swales
- Intercropping to Maximise Output
- Final Actionable Insights for Smallholder Farmers
Understand Your Land Before You Till
Start with the basics: walk the land after rainfall.
Where does water pool?
Where does it run off too quickly?
In my experience, mapping natural slopes, sun exposure, and shaded corners helped me zone the land into useful sections, cassava rows, footpaths, composting spots, and natural barriers.
A grower in northern Ghana shared how they marked water channels using sticks and sisal twine before the rains to visualise drainage zones, which saved them major replanting work later.
This step alone can prevent 60% of planting errors.
Paths That Save Energy and Protect the Crop
Walking through the same rows repeatedly compacts the soil and stunts root growth.
I solved this by laying wood chips and dried plant material along walkways between every third cassava row.
One farmer in western Kenya used flat stones and grass mats, while another used coconut husks.
It stopped the daily loss of topsoil and made it easier to weed or spray without stepping on young plants.
Defined paths also make it easier to irrigate evenly and spot pest infestations early.
Related: Quick Tips on Artificial Turf and Junk Hauling Services Support Sustainable Cassava Farming
Terracing on a Budget
If your land isn’t flat, rain will carry away your nutrients.
This is common in cassava plots near hillsides or slopes.
With help from a local extension officer, I terraced one part of my land using logs, gravel, and trenching on the contour.
The benefit?
The terraces trapped moisture, reduced runoff, and kept soil in place, even during downpours.
On another visit to a cassava demo site in Uganda, I saw farmers using tree branches and woven palm fronds to stabilise slopes.
They reported a 25% increase in yield after a single growing season due to improved water retention.
Smart Mulching and Ground Cover
Cassava growers often burn crop waste, but I learned to repurpose it.
Every harvest, I shred cassava stems, dry leaves, and yam vines to use as mulch.
This keeps weeds down, holds moisture, and returns nutrients to the soil.
A grower in Anambra State showed me how mulching reduced their need to weed from every two weeks to once a month.
Combined with basic hoeing, this saves nearly 30 hours of manual labour per season.
Use dry grasses, banana leaves, or maize stalks as alternatives based on what’s local.
Related: Uses of Artificial Grass in Cassava Farms
Composting In-Field for Faster Results
Instead of composting at the farm edge, I now compost directly in planting zones.
Here’s how: dig small trenches every 8 to 10 metres between cassava rows.
Dump in crop waste, cow dung, and water.
Cover with soil and leave it to decompose for two to three weeks before planting nearby.
Farmers I spoke with in Gulu, Uganda call this “feeding the field before it feeds you.”
It avoids the need for chemical fertiliser and builds soil health season after season.
Further Reading: Easy Cassava Waste Disposal: Junk Hauling & Dumpster Tips
Living Fences That Do More Than Mark Boundaries
Many cassava farms get damaged by livestock or harsh winds.
I planted pigeon pea and vetiver grass along the borders of my land.
They served three purposes: reduced wind damage, created physical boundaries, and offered food or biomass for compost.
Other popular living fences include moringa, leucaena, or gliricidia—these species also help fix nitrogen in the soil.
One family near Kumasi used hedgerows of cassava itself to create double-yield zones and reduce theft from outer rows.
These choices offer protection without costing a fortune in materials.
Raised Beds for Root Health
Heavy, clay-based soil suffocates cassava roots.
I once lost an entire patch due to rot from compacted ground.
Now I plant cassava in raised rows that are 20-30 cm tall and 1 metre wide.
This improves drainage, boosts aeration, and allows easy planting of intercropped beans or maize.
A grower in Cross River who adopted this layout saw less root rot and healthier leaf development across two cycles.
Raised beds also make weeding easier and reduce slug and insect damage.
Related: Maximize Cassava Productivity: Roofing Fixes and Efficient Water Pumps
Simple Water Management with Swales
In rain-fed systems, controlling how water flows through your plot can double your cassava survival rate.
I dug shallow swales, 30 cm deep, 50 cm wide, across the slope of my land.
These trenches slowed down runoff and allowed water to soak in slowly.
I planted vetiver grass along the swales, which grew quickly and reinforced the banks.
In community farming projects, similar swales have been dug with hoes and reinforced using old sacks filled with soil.
This is especially important in dry zones where cassava depends on conserved moisture.
Intercropping to Maximise Output
Instead of leaving space between cassava rows unused, I now intercrop with fast-growing legumes like groundnut and cowpea.
They mature before cassava reaches full canopy, reduce weeding needs, and improve soil fertility through nitrogen-fixation.
Farmers in Edo and Nasarawa shared how they rotate cassava with maize and pumpkin to reduce disease pressure and keep soil balanced.
If you plan your landscaping right, your layout can support two harvests from one plot, without needing additional space.
Final Actionable Insights for Smallholder Farmers
- Map your plot before planting to understand water flow, shade, and erosion risk.
- Use locally available materials like banana leaves, palm fronds, or tree limbs for mulch and fencing.
- Plant live borders to reduce theft, wind damage, and support biodiversity.
- Build swales or raised beds to protect cassava roots from excess water.
- Create compost trenches near planting rows for easy soil enrichment.
- Intercrop smartly to diversify harvests, reduce weeds, and protect soil health.
Each of these techniques requires minimal investment but delivers lasting gains.
With every season, you can build a more productive, less labour-intensive cassava farm that thrives even under tough weather or soil conditions.
And remember, start small, observe results, and adjust over time.
That’s how truly sustainable farming happens.
I am Chimeremeze, a certified cassava farmer, processor and exporter. Also a writer and researcher with deep-rooted experience in processing, consuming, and utilizing locally produced cassava products, including cassava flour, tapioca flour and starch, garri, fufu, fried cassava balls, abacha, cassava chips, and more. Growing up in a community where cassava farming is a way of life, we have mastered its cultivation, processing, and sustainability, making it an essential part of our heritage.
My passion for the cassava plant and its countless benefits drives my research and writing, shedding light on its significance to West Africa and beyond. I also explore the impact of palm oil, another cornerstone of African agriculture, and how it continues to shape economies, diets, and traditions across the continent and the world.