A long term experiment was conducted at two sites: Tanguanyao and Masangping, in Ningnan County, Sichuan Province, China, to examine the impacts of contour hedgerows on soil fertility and crop production. The five treatments used were: T1- control (farmer's up and down practice without hedgerows and with fertilizer); T2- Leucaena leucocephala hedgerow + crops without fertilizer; T3- L. leucocephala hedgerow + crops with fertilizer; T4- Tephrosia candida hedgerows + crops with fertilizer; and T5- L. leucocephala hedgerows + mulberry trees + crops with fertilizer. Groundnut was grown in all the plots in Tanguanyao from 1995 to 2000 except that maize was grown in 1998. The organic matter content of plots with contour hedgerow treatments exceeded that of controls by 87 to 132% at Tanguanyao (9 years after hedgerows establishment), and by 81 to 155% at Masangping (6 years after hedgerows establishment). At both sites, total N in hedgerow intercropping plots increased considerably compared to the controls by 82-292% at Tanguanyao, and by 104-181% at Masangping. The available P contents of hedgerow treatment were that controls at both sites, and available P content of hedgerows plus P fertilizer was higher than that of hedgerows without P fertilizer or controls. The available K under hedgerow treatments increased continuously or remained nearly constant, whereas it decreased in controls. The cation exchange capacity of hedgerow treatments was generally higher than that of controls, but the difference was not statistically significant. The hedgerow system seems to have had no effect on the recalcification that took place on topsoil at Tanguanyao. However, recalcification seemed to be strengthened by the hedgerows at Masangping. Exchangeable Mg and K were also increased under the hedgerow system at the two sites, whereas there was no difference in exchangeable Na between hedgerow systems and controls. Except for T5, the overall average crop yields in hedgerow intercropping plots between 1996 and 2000 increased by 10-23% compared to controls at Tanguanyao, and by 23- 70% at Masangping. In 2000, the groundnut yield increased by 27% in T3 in Tanguanyao, and the maize yield by 54% in T3 at Masangping.