Potentials of Bamboo-Based Agroforestry for Sustainable Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review

Partey, Samuel T.; Sarfo, Daniel Akoto; Frith, Oliver; Kwaku, Michael; Thevathasan, Naresh V.

doi:10.1007/s40003-017-0244-z

Cited by 41 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…In the DSFZ, livestock is mostly kept on free-range systems where prolonged drought limit access to nutritive food materials [61]. As bamboos are drought-tolerant and produce relatively high nutritive fodder, their integration into farming systems can supply supplementary feed materials for livestock [62]. While the increased knowledge and use of bamboo have the potential to support its integration into traditional farming systems, issues of land tenure, labour availability and economic importance have to be critically assessed.…”

Section: Bamboo Ethnobotany As a Predictive Variable For Adoption Of mentioning

confidence: 99%

Socioeconomic Indicators of Bamboo Use for Agroforestry Development in the Dry Semi-Deciduous Forest Zone of Ghana

et al. 2018

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Bamboo agroforestry is currently being promoted in Ghana as a viable land use option to reduce dependence on natural forest for wood fuels. To align the design and introduction of bamboo agroforestry to the needs of farmers, information on the determinants of bamboo acceptability and adoption is necessary. It is, therefore, the aim of this study to determine how socioeconomic factors, local farming practices and local knowledge on bamboo may influence its acceptability and adoption as a component of local farming systems. Data were collected from 200 farmers in the dry semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana using semi-structured questionnaire interviews. The results show that farmers' traditional knowledge on bamboo including its use for charcoal production and leaves for fodder are influential determinants of bamboo adoption. Among the demographic characteristics of farmers, age and gender are the most significant predictors. It is also evident that the regular practice of leaving trees on farmlands and type of cropping system may influence bamboo integration into traditional farming systems.

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Section: Bamboo Ethnobotany As a Predictive Variable For Adoption Of mentioning

confidence: 99%

Socioeconomic Indicators of Bamboo Use for Agroforestry Development in the Dry Semi-Deciduous Forest Zone of Ghana

et al. 2018

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“…Bamboo is fast growing and produces high biomass with calorific values comparable to commonly sourced wood biomass such as teak and acacia (Partey et al 2017). An initiative named Bamboo and Rattan Development Programme (BARADEP) was launched by Ghana's Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and approved by the cabinet to promote bamboo use as an alternative to some endangered forest tree species for renewable energy and other domestic and industrial uses (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to bamboo's unique contribution to bio-energy production and other ecological benefits (e.g. soil stabilization and water conservation through fibrous root system), several national economies have established bamboo plantations (Partey et al 2017). Such bamboo plantations have been reported to have facilitated the reduction in deforestation as it reduces the excessive removal of trees from the natural environment for charcoal and firewood production (Kuehl et al 2013;Akwada and Akinlabi 2018;Van Khuc et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards bamboo agroforestry development in Ghana: evaluation of crop performance, soil properties and economic benefit

et al. 2020

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In the quest to promote bamboo agroforestry in the dry semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana, we evaluated changes in soil properties, crop productivity and the economic potential of a bamboo-based intercropping system. The intercropping system was established from 3-months old sympodial bamboo (Bambusa balcooa) seedlings planted at a 5 m × 5 m spacing and intercropped with maize, cassava or cowpea. Separate monocropping fields for maize, cassava, cowpea and bamboo were set up adjacent to the intercropped field. In both the intercropping and monocropping fields, plots were with fertilizer treatments and without. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with four replicates and studied over three years. Economic analysis was conducted using the financial benefit–cost ratio method. The results showed that regardless of fertilizer treatments, bamboo agroforestry and monocropped fields had comparable effects on soil properties and crop productivity within two years of establishment. In the third year, however, bamboo agroforestry had significantly (p < 0.05) higher soil moisture, pH and crop productivity levels. An intercropping advantage over monocropping was evident for all crops with respective partial land equivalent ratios for fertilized and non-fertilized intercropped systems as follows: cowpea (1.37 and 1.54), maize (1.38 and 1.36), and cassava (1.12 and 1.19). The economic evaluation also indicated marginal profitability of bamboo intercropping over monocropping systems. From the results obtained, there are clear indications that where bamboo is a prioritized woody perennial, integrated systems with crops may be encouraged.

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“…With livestock in SSA mostly kept under free-range systems, repeated occurrence of droughts lead to scarcity of fodder with fair nutritive value that impedes livestock productivity. Even when animals are stall-fed on crop residues during pasture scarcity periods, the dry matter intake and protein requirements of animals are often not met [51][52][53]. Recent studies have shown dry season feeding from leaves of drought tolerant tree/shrub legumes used in improved fallows systems offer many advantages such as supply of good quality green fodder, and high crude protein and minerals to animals [54,55].…”

Section: Potential Fodder Production During Dry Periodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Income from charcoal sales (1) provide safety-nets in times of shortfalls in incomes derived from arable farming, livestock, or fisheries, (2) support current charcoal/wood fuel consumption, and (3) serve as a potential pathway out of poverty [61,62]. With a projected rise in the consumption of wood fuels and charcoal by 2030, economic returns from wood fuels and charcoals are also expected to rise [53]. However, except where community or individual plantations designated for charcoal production are in place, farmers are confronted with the challenges of meeting biomass resource demands due to evolving natural resource management policies that restrict harvest of wood biomass from forests.…”

Section: Provision Of Biomass Resource For Off-season Charcoal Producmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why Promote Improved Fallows as a Climate-Smart Agroforestry Technology in Sub-Saharan Africa?

et al. 2017

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Abstract:In the literature, a lot is discussed about how agroforestry can achieve the mitigation, adaptation and productivity goals of climate-smart agriculture (CSA). However, this may be relatively too broad to assess the trade-offs and synergies of how specific agroforestry technologies or practices achieve the three pillars of CSA. Here, we provide an overview of how improved fallows (an agroforestry technology consisting of planting mainly legume tree/shrub species in rotation with cultivated crops) may achieve the goals of climate-smart agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Our review showed that improved fallow systems have real potential to contribute to food security and climate change mitigation and adaptation in SSA. Under proper management, improved fallows can increase maize yields to about 6 t ha −1 , which is comparable to conventional maize yields under fertilization. This is attributed to improved soil fertility and nutrient use efficiency. Although data was generally limited, the growing literature showed that improved fallows increased soil carbon sequestration and reduced greenhouse emissions. Further, as a multiple output land use system, improved fallows may increase fodder availability during dry periods and provide substantial biomass for charcoal production. These livelihood options may become important financial safety nets during off seasons or in the event of crop failures. This notwithstanding, the adoption of improved fallows is mainly in Southern and Eastern Africa, where over 20,000 farmers are now using Sesbania sesban, Tephrosia vogelii, and Cajanus cajan in two-year fallows followed by maize rotations. Land tenure issues, lack of social capital, and improved germplasm and accessions of fallow species have been cited as constraints to scaling up. However, development of seed orchards, nursery development, and the willingness of policy makers to create a policy environment that addresses market failures and alleviates disincentives should improve adoption and future scaling up.

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Potentials of Bamboo-Based Agroforestry for Sustainable Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review

Cited by 41 publications

References 59 publications

Socioeconomic Indicators of Bamboo Use for Agroforestry Development in the Dry Semi-Deciduous Forest Zone of Ghana

Socioeconomic Indicators of Bamboo Use for Agroforestry Development in the Dry Semi-Deciduous Forest Zone of Ghana

Towards bamboo agroforestry development in Ghana: evaluation of crop performance, soil properties and economic benefit

Why Promote Improved Fallows as a Climate-Smart Agroforestry Technology in Sub-Saharan Africa?

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