Tree Biodiversity, Land Dynamics and Farmers’ Strategies on the Agricultural Frontier of Southwestern Burkina Faso (original) (raw)
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Trade-off of Tree Conservation and Crop Production on Agroforestry Parklands in Burkina Faso
Journal of Agricultural Studies, 2019
Rapid population growth coupled with food demand make land for agriculture scarcer obliging farmers to make use of any available piece of land at their disposal for crops production. This preferential use of land for crops production may appear to be competitive with tree keeping on farm. To elucidate that, the trade-off between crop production and tree conservation on farms was assessed in Bouroum-Bourmoum, Sapouy and Ouahigouya, three municipalities of Burkina Faso. More than 3 000 individual trees which spreading was 1 154 in Bouroum-Bourom, 884 in Ouahigouya and 1 054 in Sapouy were used. The mean tree canopy cover and tree cover in the farms were calculated. The three principal crops (millet, red sorghum and white sorghum) yield were used to estimate the trade-off using the mean tree canopy cover as the potential no cropping area. The results revealed a tree canopy cover of 66.25 m 2 in Bouroum-Bourom, 59.92 m 2 in Sapouy and 42.1 m 2 in Ouahigouya. The average tree cover was 23.99% in Bouroum-Bouroum, 18.23% in Sapouy and 14.88% in Ouahigouya. This represents a loss in grain production of 109.5 kg/ha in Bouroum-Bouroum, 247.6 kg/ha in Sapouy and 252.8kg/ha in Ouahigouya. A higher tree cover implies a higher Journal of Agricultural Studies 42 trade-off in the agroforestry parkland and suggests reduction in tree density. There is urgent need to work out the balance between smallholders' farmer continuous requirement for increase food crop production and the need to maintain tree diversity in the farm for carbon credit payment promotion.
Forests, 2019
In the Sahelian region, different approaches are being used to halt environmental degradation and restore tree cover, with varying degrees of success. Initiatives vary according to projects’ objectives, type of land to restore, and technical practices used (natural regeneration, farmer-managed assisted regeneration, enrichment planting, etc.). This study investigates tree planting choices and selection of tree seed sources in some villages of the Central region of Burkina Faso. The study targeted 96 farmers and compared planting practices adopted by farmers involved in small-scale forest restoration using fences, with those not involved in this initiative. The objective was to understand what portfolio of tree species were planted, what factors influenced tree species selection, what tree seed sources were used, what collection practices were generally adopted, and whether there were significant differences between types of farmers. The results showed that the use of fencing to prom...
An Overview of Trees in Smallholder Farmers' Agricultural Landscapes: A Case Study from Sub-Saharan Africa, 2024
Many developing countries, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa, have focused on improving agricultural production at the farm level. Governments have implemented agricultural policies and acts to support various initiatives aimed at generating secure and affordable food for low-and middle-income populations. However, these policies can sometimes lead to more homogeneous Review Article resilience. Additionally, integrating trees fosters the preservation of cultural and traditional knowledge, while promoting biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration, ultimately creating a more sustainable and resilient agricultural system. Moreover, integrating trees into farming landscapes can help address Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 and 2-' No Poverty' and 'Zero Hunger'-by increasing crop yields. This study recommends enhanced awareness campaigns for incorporating trees into agricultural landscapes.
International Journal of Research in Agriculture, Biology & Environment (IJAGRI), 2023
This study was conducted to investigate the farmers' tree growing practices and diversity of tree species in the home garden, farmlands, and nearby forest areas of Abaychomen District, Eastern Wollega, Oromia region, Ethiopia. Data were collected from sampled Households (HHs) using purposive random sampling methods for the socioeconomic survey and a systematic sampling technique for vegetation assessment. For the interview, 152 HHs were selected from the two Peasant Associations of Gutene and Dinoberema. Focus group discussions and site observations were used. The result showed 51 tree species in Dinoberema and 41 in Gutene were identified and recorded. The Shannon diversity index is high in the natural forest of both sites and low in the crop fields of Gutene and home garden area of Denoberema. Simpson diversity index exhibited a similar trend as the Shannon diversity index in both sites. Croton macrostachyus and Podocarpus falcatus are the 1 st and the 2 nd most important tree species in both sites. Higher Sorensen coefficient similarity observed between crop field and home gardens. The result also revealed, HHs within the rich wealth class have a large area of home garden related to medium and poor. According to respondents viewed, (80 % observed labour availability) in Gutene and (60% observed land availability) in Dinoberema were opportunities to grow trees. However, shortage of cash and land were the main constraints for tree growing practices. Therefore, this study is important for effective tree biodiversity. Hence, identifying and documenting the tree species diversity and practices of local peoples on tree management are necessary to build the gaps in knowledge.