Intercrop

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To simultaneously grow diverse crops in the same field to optimize land use and increase productivity
2. To plant multiple varieties of crops together in the same area for improved land efficiency and yield
3. The practice of cultivating several crop types side by side in one field to make better use of space and resources

Etymology: "Intercrop" is a plain compound: the prefix "inter-", meaning "between" or "among," joined to "crop." The verb describes growing two or more crops on the same field at the same time, so the crops are interspersed rather than planted in separate blocks. The idea is that different plants can share one plot without wholly competing for it, which is why the practice is valued for getting more out of a given area of land. The "inter-" in this word is the same Latin prefix found in "intermix," "intervene," and "interval," where it likewise means "between." Its use in farming terms follows the same pattern, placing one thing among another. The "crop" half comes from the older sense of the word as the harvested produce of a field, a meaning that has been in English for centuries.