The use of Eucalyptus in agroforestry systems of southern Rwanda : to integrate of segregate

Mugunga, Canisius Patrick

doi:10.18174/375484

Cited by 6 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 227 publications

(351 reference statements)

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“…For example, an experiment in Southern Rwanda found while soil moisture, nutrients, and light were significantly reduced in the crop fields next to the eucalyptus woodlots, combining cropping with eucalyptus woodlots was more profitable than solely cultivating crop, and revenue from extra wood gains exceeded the corresponding revenue losses in crop yield. These results depended on crop field size and orientation against the niche of the woodlot [45]. The current study's findings confirmed that eucalyptus woodlots were more likely to be adopted in sites dominated by less fertile soils, and more fragmented plots with tenure security.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

“…For TBEAs to contribute to have a broad based structural transformation, even more sustainable management of trees better integrated with crops across landscapes, for profitable business and employment opportunities, are required. For example, promotion of planting mixed stands of eucalyptus and N-fixing trees can contribute to enhancing soil quality for crops as well as woodlot productivity [45], and can encourage recycling of organic matter into soil [47]. Future research should address improvements in tree management through the provision of quality seeds/clones together with manuals and extensions on best practices for species choice and intensive weeding [47].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tree-Based Ecosystem Approaches (TBEAs) as Multi-Functional Land Management Strategies—Evidence from Rwanda

et al. 2018

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Densely populated rural areas in the East African Highlands have faced significant intensification challenges under extreme population pressure on their land and ecosystems. Sustainable agricultural intensification, in the context of increasing cropping intensities, is a prerequisite for deliberate land management strategies that deliver multiple ecosystem goods (food, energy, income sources, etc.) and services (especially improving soil conditions) on the same land, as well as system resilience, if adopted at scale. Tree based ecosystem approaches (TBEAs) are among such multi-functional land management strategies. Knowledge on the multi-functionality of TBEAs and on their scaling up, however, remains severely limited due to several methodological challenges. This study aims at offering an analytical perspective to view multi-functional TBEAs as an integral part of sustainable agricultural intensification. The study proposes a conceptual framework to guide the analysis of socio-economic data and applies it to cross-site analysis of TBEAs in extremely densely populated Rwanda. Heterogeneous TBEAs were identified across Rwanda's different agro-ecological zones to meet locally-specific smallholders' needs for a set of ecosystem goods and services on the same land. The sustained adoption of TBEAs would be guaranteed if farmers subjectively recognize their compatibility and synergy with sustainable intensification of existing farming systems, supported by favorable institutional conditions.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree-Based Ecosystem Approaches (TBEAs) as Multi-Functional Land Management Strategies—Evidence from Rwanda

et al. 2018

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“…Eucalyptus was perceived to have a strong negative interaction with crops in all the agroecologies of Rwanda, explaining why many farmers prefer growing this genus in woodlots rather than integrating it in cropped fields (Mugunga 2016). Eucalyptus -which is frequently grown in woodlots in Congo Nile and Central plateau -contributed to increased household income in this study, agreeing with observations from Ethiopia and Kenya where Eucalyptus trees grown on-farm and in woodlots were more profitable than sole crops (Jagger and Pender 2003;Kidanu et al 2005;Peralta and Swinton 2009).…”

Section: Farmers' Perceptions Of Tree Crop Interactions Influence Agrsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Other researchers in Rwanda (Bucagu, 2013;Mugunga, 2016) argued that yield decline in agroforestry could be compensated for by the value of tree products. While yield benefits are a good starting point for an economic evaluation (Cannell et al, 1996), agroforestry might give greater economic benefits than sole-crop or sole-tree systems (Price, 1995) especially in highly populated areas where the demand for forest products is not met (Ndayambaje and Mohren, 2011) and alternative food sources are available on local markets.…”

Section: Maize Phenologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In East Africa, the effect of several different tree species such as Grevillea robusta (Lott et al, 2000) and Eucalyptus spp. (Mugunga, 2016;Tadele and Teketay, 2014) on crop growth has been studied. However, there is limited information on the effects on crops grown under Alnus acuminata (Kunth) (Muthuri et al 2005) or Markhamia lutea (Seem.).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Farming with trees: a balancing act in the shade

Ndoli¹

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The smallholder agriculture sector in East Africa is the dominant economic and social activity for millions of farm households who are often resource-poor, food-insecure and most vulnerable to climate change. In this region, population pressure has led to shorter fallow periods or continuous cropping even on hillslopes causing erosion and leading to reduced soil organic matter content and nutrient mining without replenishment. Consequently, poor agricultural productivity has led to food shortages and these problems are likely to intensify in the region, as the human population is growing faster than in other parts of the world. Agroforestry, a low-input technology, was shown to contribute to the enhancement of food production while ensuring sustainability in sub-Saharan Africa.Agroforestry may improve food security by increasing soil fertility and providing additional income from tree products. Thus, agroforestry is now receiving increasing attention as a sustainable landmanagement option and some countries in East Africa (e.g. Rwanda) have pledged to restore up to 100% of their agricultural land mainly through agroforestry by the year 2020. Nevertheless, crop yields reduction in agroforestry are frequent due to competition for resources among trees and crops.In recent studies, tree canopy and root pruning were tested to improve light availability and resource use efficiency but studies that tackle crop management and tillage options to optimize crop productivity in the agroforestry systems are scarce.This thesis aims to assess the importance of agroforestry across Rwanda and its implication on crop productivity and food security of farm households, explore and recommend the maize varieties and tillage options that could minimize tree-crop competition in the equatorial savannah of Rwanda and Ethiopia. The approach combined household survey on the contribution of trees on household income and food security in six agroecologies of Rwanda, experiments on the microclimate and fertility effects of trees on crops in sub-humid region of Rwanda, maize variety testing in agroforestry systems and trials on conservation agriculture with trees in the equatorial savannah of two East African countries: Rwanda (Bugesera site) and Ethiopia (Meki site). The survey in Rwanda found that food security increases with increasing farm size and farmers with more trees tended to be wealthier (e.g. with larger land and more often higher crop and livestock income) and therefore tended to be more food secure in half of the agroecologies. The proportion of household income that came from tree products was the least among sources of income suggesting that most tree products are not sold but kept by farmers for their own use. Yet tree vi income was important for about 12% of the farmers, contributing more than 20% of their overall income. Households having low food security relied more on income from tree products than those with higher food security status. Therefore, income from tree products can be seen as a 'safety net' for the po...

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Addressing the paradox – the divergence between smallholders’ preference and actual adoption of agricultural innovations

Iiyama

Mukuralinda

Ndayambaje

et al. 2018

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability

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Experiences in smallholder contexts indicate frequent mismatches between technologies introduced and needs of farmers who must make complex decisions in reallocating their limited resources under highly risky ecological and market contexts. This study proposes a cost-and time-effective, easy-to-implement approach to identify farmers' priorities and critical intervention areas, and presents its application in guiding an agroforestry strategy in Rwanda. It was found that different tree species have distinctive enabling vs. constraining conditions under different agroecological contexts in the perspective of smallholder farmers. Tree species preferred by farmers were not necessarily widely adopted if multitudes of conditions were not enabling. The essential conditions for sustainable adoption include: quality materials/inputs are available; technologies are compatible with existing local farming systems; they are resilient to climate risks/resistant to pests-diseases; management is not complicated; and, there is guaranteed access to markets. The results show that there will not be a silver bullet national strategy to scale up agroforestry. Instead a matrix kind of strategies-to promote enabling conditions and address constraining conditions for priority species in specific agroecologies-will be required. The proposed concept should be further refined for wider agricultural technology transfer debates to break the myths of low uptakes by smallholders.

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The use of Eucalyptus in agroforestry systems of southern Rwanda : to integrate of segregate

Cited by 6 publications

References 227 publications

Tree-Based Ecosystem Approaches (TBEAs) as Multi-Functional Land Management Strategies—Evidence from Rwanda

Tree-Based Ecosystem Approaches (TBEAs) as Multi-Functional Land Management Strategies—Evidence from Rwanda

Farming with trees: a balancing act in the shade

Addressing the paradox – the divergence between smallholders’ preference and actual adoption of agricultural innovations

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