In Ghana, increased population pressure and the need to cultivate greater land area have resulted in reduced fallow periods. As a consequence, the restoration of soil fertility is insufficient to allow recovery of secondary forest and rejuvenation of exhausted soils. Fallows are of ecological, economic and social importance to rural people and to the nation at large. A majority of farmers depend on fallowing, using little or no fertilisers to improve impoverished soils. This implies that farm production (and income) will consistently decline over the years. Several promising technologies have been developed in the last decade to address these issues. On‑farm trials have demonstrated the value of maize-legume relays, permanent plantain, cocoa-shade trees, planted tree fallow and yam-legume relays in improving yields and restoring soil fertility.