Agroforestry Technologies Adopted by Smallholder Farmers In Southern Province of Rwanda
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Date
2019
Authors
Mukundente, Liliane
Ndunda, Ezekiel
Gathuru, Gladys
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
East African Nature & Science Organization
Abstract
Agroforestry is an agricultural system that deliberately integrates trees, crops
and animals on the same land and under the same management. Agroforestry
practices have the ability to counter the increasing food insecurity and offers
several outputs (e.g. enhanced crop production, money and job opportunities) to
smallholder farmers hence the improvement of rural living standards. This paper
focuses on the agroforestry practices adopted by smallholder farmers, challenge
faced and the benefits derived from the agroforestry practices. This study was
carried out in four districts in the Southern Province of Rwanda. A descriptive
survey design was used in this study. The study adopted a stratified random
sampling technique for questionnaire distribution. Descriptive methods of
analysis were used to identify the different agroforestry technologies adopted by
smallholder farmers in Rwanda. This study illustrated the different agroforestry
practices adopted by farmers. The results revealed that most farmers in the
Southern Province adopted boundary planting agroforestry followed by
homegardens, alley cropping and scattered trees on farm. Most adopters (68%)
of agroforestry planted trees around their farms. The farmers maintained that
these trees are retained to provide various uses (e.g. fuel wood, staking material,
constructional materials, grazing, climate regulation, soil erosion, control of wed
and pest, reduction of crop failure, improving soil fertility, nutrient recycling
and nitrogen fixation). Input and productivity were the common challenges
faced by the farmers who adopted agroforestry practices. Most of the
respondents were able to access the necessary information on the importance of
agroforestry, attained knowledge for planting trees (especially in spacing and
management skills) and knowledge about various species of trees and
management skills. The government of Rwanda and other stakeholders should
promote tree farming in the area so as to prevent deforestation and land
degradation in search of firewood and timber from the community and
government forests.
Description
An Article Published in East African Journal of Forestry and Agroforestry
Keywords
Agroforestry, Rural Livelihood, Agroforestry Practices, Alley Cropping, Homegarden, Boundary Planting, Scattered Trees on Farm, Rwanda