Intercropping maize, common bean, and mung bean in southern Ethiopia was studied to improve crop efficiency. Maize did best when mung bean was planted first. Common bean did well regardless of planting times, while mung bean was more productive when planted at the same time as maize. The best combination was planting maize with mung bean first, followed by common bean, which gave the highest overall productivity and profit. This sequential intercropping method outperformed other combinations by a significant margin, showing that farmers can benefit from this approach in areas with a long enough growing season.