Mixed cropping, also known as polyculture, inter-cropping, or co-cultivation, is a type of agriculture that involves planting two or more plants simultaneously in the same field so that they grow together. Since crops ripen during different seasons, planting more than one saves space and also provides a wealth of environmental benefits including maintaining a balance of input and outgo of soil nutrients; weed, disease, insect pest suppression; resistance to climate extremes (wet, dry, hot, cold); an increase in overall productivity, and management of scarce land resources to its maximum potential.
Although it has its benefits, depending on how it is done, it can also be awfully disadvantageous!
Watch the video below on intercropping:
Reference: https://www.thoughtco.com/mixed-cropping-history-171201