Agroforestry, attitude towards risk and nutrient availability: a case study of south Indian farming systems

Abstract

Introduction of two systems of agroforestry to the farmers portfolio is evaluated for their changes in cropping pattern, input use, income generation, farmers attitude towards risk and nutrient availability. Two different types of farmers are studied under both irrigated and dryland farming systems. Farm survey data collected from south Indian villages have been used with a mean-variance framework to identify the risk aversion levels of farmers. The results indicate that the risk-taking preferences of farmers should be given consideration in evaluating the impact of agroforestry systems. Among the two agroforestry systems analyzed, the one with drumstick is shown to increase the risk of crop production while the one with leucaena reduces the risk and enables farmers to invest in more risky cash crops. The impact of agroforestry on crop allocation, input use and income differs due to the differences in resource availability of farmers. The influence of agroforestry on nutrient availability of the farm households also differs based on the components of agroforestry, orientation of farming and the nature of farming systems. It is argued that design of agroforestry systems should consider differences in resource constraints in farming systems and risk attitudes of farmers towards their allocation decisions and that such considerations would largely enhance the successful adoption of agroforestry in developing countries.

Estimates of outcrossing rates in Moringa oleifera using Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP)

“…M. oleifera seeds contains flocculants for water purification (Jahn, 1984;Gassenchmidt et al, 1995;Muyibi and Evanson, 1995;Ndabigengesere et al, 1995), antimicrobial substances (Jahn, 1984) and edible oil (Khan et al, 1975;Ramachandran et al, 1980). Other uses of this species are for vegetables, fodder, medicines, gum, food spices, rayon and paper pulp (Jahn et al, 1986;Nautiyal and Venkataraman, 1987;Babu and Rajasekaran, 1991;Jahn, 1991;Mayer and Stelz, 1993;Caceres et al, 1991). Wide scale planting of M. oleifera in East Africa has gained momentum over the last four years.…”

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis of genetic variation in Moringa oleifera Lam.

“…The seeds also contain antimicrobial substances capable of reducing the concentration of bacteria in treated water (Jahn 1984; Sutherland et al 1989), and edible oil which can also be used in cosmetics and soap production (Khan et al 1975; Ramachandran et al 1980; Nautiyal & Venkataraman 1987; Mayer & Stelz 1993). Other uses of this species are for vegetables and fodder (Jahn et al 1986; Jahn 1991; Mayer & Stelz 1993), medicines (Caceres et al 1991; Jahn 1991), ornamentals, live fencing, gum, food spices, rayon and paper pulp (Jahn et al 1986; Nautiyal & Venkataraman 1987; Babu & Rajasekaran 1991).…”

Investment decisions under uncertainty—A methodological review on forest science studies

“…Some investigations deal with this question in relation to the assessment of agroforestry systems and non-timber forest products (e.g. Blandon, 1985;Lilieholm and Reeves, 1991;Babu and Rajasekaran, 1991). In the general field of ecosystem investigations Figge (2004) noticed that although the correlations between diversity and stability have been discussed several times, the parallels between approaches of financial mathematics and ecology have generally not been acknowledged.…”