Perennial Crops- The Gift that Keeps on Giving.

Thinking free food and little work? Sound nice? Then you’re talking perennials.

Banana and plantain are perennial crops that take the appearance of trees as they mature

Perennial garden crops hold many advantages. First, they can provide year-round food and they are also easier to manage than the annuals. There is no need to till for perennials and less tillage means healthier soil and less erosion. And they are tasty.

Want to enjoy money from home-grown food year after year without having to start your farm from scratch each Raining season? Then, it's time to discover the perennial foods.

All of the following herbs, vegetables, fruits and legumes can be planted once and enjoyed for many seasons to come here in Nigeria.
Perennial Herbs
Moringa
Basil (African Blue, East Indian)
Chives
Garlic
Ginger
Horseradish
Lavender
Lemon Balm
Mint
Onions
Shallots
Thyme

Perennial Vegetables
Broccoli
Spinach
Sweet Potato
Water Cress
Yams

Perennial Fruits
Apples
Avocado
Grapes
Lemons
Limes
Oranges
Pears
Plums
Raspberries
Strawberries (Ever-bearing varieties can be maintained as perennials in colder climates)

Perennial Legumes
Beans (Winged bean, Scarlet Runner)

Note: While all plants listed are perennials, they may not grow perennially in all locations here in Nigeria.

The advantages of perennial agriculture
Agriculture can be made far more sustainable by transitioning many annual agricultural systems to perennials. Perennial crops are crops which are alive year-round and are harvested multiple times before dying.

Perennial plants are not new to agriculture; plants such as apples and alfalfa are perennials that are already commercially grown and harvested. However, most farmland is devoted to annual agriculture. Cereals, oilseeds, and legumes – all annuals – occupy 69 percent of global croplands.

Many of these staple crops can be replaced by perennials by and other genetic engineering techniques.

Conversion of annual fields into perennial fields offers many biodiversity-friendly benefits.

One of these benefits is reduced soil erosion. Annual farming leaves fields fallow in between growing seasons and offers less root mass throughout the growth cycle.

This leaves fields vulnerable to wind and water erosion. This erosion destroys topsoil which then pressures microbial and plant populations. Perennial plants develop much greater root mass and protect the soil year-round.

Perennial farming can reduce erosion rates by up to 50 percent

Please don't jump into Agribusiness.
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