Bamboo in rice paddies in ziro valley, arunachal pradesh, india over the last half a century or so, the indigenous apatani. Trees also perform many, many other beneficial functions. Pdf cocoa agroforestry for increasing forest connectivity in a. Franzel international centre for research in agroforestry icraf, nairobi, kenya s.
Types of agroforestry systems consisting of agronomic or forage practices with an integral tree or shrub practice that is arranged in a block or rectangular pattern the width or short axis of the block typically greater than 100 feet. The center for agroforestry at the university of missouri. Agroforestry solutions to address food security and. Climateresilient landscapes for sustainable livelihoods. These pictures were taken during a research stay at the slope farming project in arba minch. Agroforestry systems are traditional land use systems that were and are used in europe. Developing resilient farming systems in northern ghana. Assessing the adoption potential of agroforestry practices in africa edited by s. Bamboo agroforestry is currently being promoted in ghana as a. Its purpose is to produce food, wood, fibre and at the same time ensures the conservation of land resource. Perceived multifunctionality of agroforestry trees in. Gyasi the dryland savannah zone of the northern region of ghana occupies 40% of the country. Agroforestry practices among farmers in lafia local government area, nasarawa state, nigeria. They are currently under threat in this region due to recent changes in agricultural and land use practices.
Thirtyfive years ago widespread concerns over land degradation and the lack of effective solutions in africa led to the hope that international agroforestry research could contribute new solutions. Wilfrid pineau, is now completed and ready for distribution. Climate change adaptation strategies and constraints in. These landuse systems provide various useful products for household and national economies including food and medicinal products for humans and animals, wood for construction and fuel, and. Agroforestry parklands, characterized by scattered trees growing within cultivated crop fields, are the most widespread agricultural system in semiarid west africa.
By offering a scientifically credible and holistic assessment of the value of common land uses in northern ghana, it may suseful erve as aresource for land users. Developing more productive african agroforestry systems. Boffa, 1999 reports that in northern ghana, locust bean trees. In order to plan for the use of trees in agroforestry systems, considerable knowledge of their properties is necessary. A typical agroforestry parkland in northern ghana dominated by shea trees. Effort to define agroforestry began in the mid 1970s and evolved rapidly as studies began on the diversity and scope of agroforestry practices. T hese farming practices involve the use of trees either simultaneously or sequentially with agricultural crops as observed in agroforestry.
It has been practiced in the united states and around the world for centuries. Also, there is a belief that crops cannot grow well. Traditional agroforestry systems and biodiversity conservation in benin west africa article pdf available in agroforestry systems 821. Despite local success stories 2, many parts of africa have continued to experience food insecurity, declines in per capita farm income, and land and soil degradation. A major weapon in this battle to achieve sustainability on the small and medium scale farm in west africa, is the idea of combining and using agroforestry techniques. The forum, which was attended by community leaders, assemblymen, farmers groups as well as women leaders, talked about the environmental challenges being posed by desertification and climate change. In northern europe, mature woodland provided shelter to cattle and sheep during. In permaculture we use lots of different sorts of agroforestry systems. Farmers succeeded to intensify land use significantly. Agroforestry theories and practices in sustainable land. Although there are many constraints to farming, there are considerable opportunities too. Sustainable agricultural practices saps in northern ghana. Agroforestry can be viewed as a societal response, primarily born out of a need to fulfill immediate basic human needs of food, fuel, fodder, shelter, protection etc. Publications world agroforestry transforming lives and.
New agroforestry network for ghana world agroforestry. Agroforestry, cultivation and use of trees and shrubs with crops and livestock in agricultural systems. The district shares common boundaries with the asutifi district to the north and east. The following images show examples of agroforestry systems in practice in different locations in ethiopia. Types of agroforestry practices lafia north lafia south lafia west lafia east respondents percentage rowhedges 11 8 6 5 30 25 trees on farm land 2 4 6 7 19 15. Agroforestry has been suggested as a practice to counteract declining yields, but quantitative data on the effects of shade trees in cocoa systems are scarce and implementation of agroforestry practices are limited. In the forestsavanna transition zone brong ahafo region of ghana, where migration from northern regions migrant and from neighboring regions settler is active, we chart the role of migrant famers and the type of agroecosystem management practices embedded in information networks using a social networks approach. Soil carbon, in the form of organic matter, is considered as an indicator of. In the guineatype savanna in northern ghana, the most. The dominant agroforestry practices of the farmers in the study site are comprised of planting of woody perennials farm forest along the upper slopes 2530 degrees, grass species allowed to grow in fallow areas along the middle slopes 1015 degrees, and planting of rice and vegetables along the terraces 010 degrees.
Socioeconomic and environmental benefits of agroforestry. By so doing agroforestry is anticipated to moderate the effect of climate change variations. This agroforestry training manual is first intended for ghanaian. Indigenous agroforestry practices in two districts in the northern part of lao pdr by houmchitsavath sodarak1, chanhpeng ditsaphon1, vienghad thammavong1, nonggnao ounthammasith1 and olle forshed2 1 northern agriculture and forestry research centre 2 laoswedish upland agriculture and forestry research programme introduction. Nigeria and ghana were established to train young farmers in the theory and practice of an agronomy which encourages the maintenance of soil fertility. Pdf traditional agroforestry systems and biodiversity. The northern ghana land use ecosystem service and economic valuation study is an assessment of the economic and environmental implications of land uses as well as changes in land use. The role of agroforestry for sustainable forest use case. The dryland savannah zone of the northern region of ghana occupies 40% of the country. The present study focused on the floristic diversity within traditional agroforestry parkland systems around the pendjari biosphere reserve in benin and showed the diversity of tree species in the area as well as socioeconomic factors which affect the practice.
The training manual for applied agroforestry practices, available for viewing or ordering from the publications page, contains a chapter about forest farming and an information resources list. Sustainable agricultural practices saps in northern. Pdf agroforestry practices have widely been used as an approach to. Desirable information for each species includes its benefits, adaptability to local conditions climate, soil, and stresses, the size and form of the canopy and root system, and suitability for various agroforestry practices. The university of missouri center for agroforestry umca, established in 1998, is one of the worlds leading centers contributing to the science underlying agroforestry. Participation of women farmers in agroforestry practices in the jaman south municipality, ghana article pdf available august 2019 with 188 reads how we measure reads. Scherr agricultural and resource economics department, university of maryland, college park, usa cabi publishing in association with the international centre for research in. Conventionally, farmers have only grown a single crop on one field. A brief description of the main agroforestry practice components, i.
Agroforestry, tree planting promoted in northern ghana a stakeholders workshop to promote the development of agroforestry and tree planting has ended at walewale in the northern region. The forum, which was attended by community leaders, assemblymen, farmers groups as well as women leaders, talked about the environmental challenges. Most progress has been made in the southern, coastal regions where millions of people have moved beyond natural resourcebased. The fruit of ziziphus mauritiana is eaten fresh or dried and can be made into a floury meal, butter, or a cheeselike paste, and is a good source of carotene, vitamins a and c, and oils. This socalled agroforestry is by many advocated as a sustainable solution for subsaharan african smallholder agriculture in general see e. Developing resilient farming systems in northern ghana stephen nutsugah csirsavanna agricultural research institute. Leveraging the worlds largest repository of agroforestry science and information, we develop knowledge practices, from farmers fields to the global sphere, to ensure food security and. World agroforestry icraf is a centre of science and development excellence that harnesses the benefits of trees for people and the environment. The role of agroforestry for sustainable forest use case a study of a communitybased agroforestry initiative in the kassenanankan district of northern ghana godfried bakiyem adaba natural recourses management, governance and globalisation master thesis 2005. The practice of agroforestry in ghana needs policy recommendations to bring major. For a more detailed account of the woody species involved, see nair, 1983 d and nair et al. Pdf in ghana, farmers perceive protected forests as land banks for increasing agricultural productivity. In collaboration with the soil research institutesri and the forestry research institute of ghana forig we aim.
Agroforestry science will be interpreted and tools tailored to accommodate diverse users. The manual features descriptions of establishing and managing the five. Young leaves are rich in vitamin c and are in high demand in west africa as a soup vegetable. Agroforestry is defined briefly as the integration of trees and crops on the same land management unit. Therefore, it is important to investigate the benefits of agroforestry that makes it one of the. Understanding farmers perceptions and the effects of shea.
They can be defined as those land use systems which involve two main components treesshrubs and an agricultural crop which could also be pasture and are artificially managed. Printed in 20 to coincide with the inaugural agroforestry academy, this version of the training manual for applied agroforestry practices is designed for natural resources professionals and landowners and includes worksheets and exercises for use as an educational tool. In the tropics, all farming should have some trees in it to protect plants and soil from heavy rains and to give shade from the sun. Agroforestry notes af note 44 general 14 may 2014 indigenous traditional ecological knowledge in agroforestry introduction communities around the world have practiced diverse and evolving forms of agroforestry for centuries. Agroforestry and the improvement of soil fertility. Indigenous agroforestry practices in two districts in the. Ghana news agency quotes mr lovans owusutakyi, lecturer at the kumasi institute of tropical agriculture kita, as saying that agroforestry practices such as alley cropping, food woodlots, windbreaks, life fencing and crop rotation can enable farmers to. Human land use practices have shaped these landscapes, and. Indigenous agroforestry practices in two districts in the northern part of lao pdr. In a northern ethiopian context, agroforestry is encouraged through the government hassan et al. Integration usda will integrate agroforestry into agency programs and policies to maximize and highlight economic, social, and conservation benefits. By houmchitsavath sodarak1, chanhpeng ditsaphon1, vienghad thammavong1, nonggnao ounthammasith1 and olle forshed2 1 northern agriculture and forestry research centre.
For this reason, the researchers used the sissala west district as a case study to determine factors influencing farmers adaptation to climate change and strategies used to avert. Northern ghana land use ecosystem service and economic. Click on the hotspots to learn more about the synergies in this agroforestry system. The integrated practices of agroforestry enhance land and aquatic habitats for fish and wildlife and improve biodiversity while sustaining land resources for generations to come. The edible white, powdery pulp found in the fruit of adansonia digitata is very rich in vitamins c and b2. Pasturing in woodland is one of the oldest land use practices in human history. Agroforestry is the intentional integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to create environmental, economic, and social benefits.
The ecological and socioeconomic importance of traditional agroforestry systems is now widely recognized. Limited water supply in selected communities of northern ghana. Ghana case study food and agriculture organization. This notwithstanding, conscious practi ce of agroforestry is not widespread in the forest zone of ghana.
The key systems comprise olive, argan, and cork oak agroforestry systems morocco, tunisia and algeriaand alley cropping with saltbush morocco. Research findings indicate that most african countries are vulnerable to climate change as a result of challenges such as poverty, weather extremes, and insufficient governmental agricultural support. Read about center for agroforestry forest cropping research in the 2009 research highlights pdf, 3. Requires technologies and practices that build on agroecological knowledge and.
Agroforestry parklands, often referred to as farmed parklands, are the main feature of semihumid and semiarid landscape in west africa where socioeconomically important trees are left scattered in the cultivated fields or fallow pullan 1974. This paper discusses the effects of trees on soil fertility, with a focus on agricultural systems in amazonia. Participation of women farmers in agroforestry practices. In collaboration with the soil research institutesri and the. Agroforestry systems examples of practices in ethiopia. Definitions and components of agroforestry practices in. A stakeholders workshop to promote the development of agroforestry and tree planting has ended at walewale in the northern region. Objectives the main purpose of this study was to document the farmer preferences on agroforestry practices. Agroforestry seeks positive interactions between its components, aiming to achieve a more ecologically diverse and socially productive output from the land than is possible through conventional agriculture. Agroforestry trees offer many ecological and socioeconomic benefits, such as added income, food, and medicine. Agroforestry, tree planting promoted in northern ghana.
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