intercropping alley cropping A cropping system that involves growing crops in a wide strip, typically 6 meters in width, between lines of closely planted, fast-growing trees or shrubs. An agricultural process in which rows of trees and/or shrubs are planted to create alleys within which agricultural or horticultural crops are produced. These woody species are usually leguminous and are pruned frequently to provide a mulching material and nutrients to the crop in the alley. alleycropping hedgerow intercropping