Scientific insights into what it means to manage on‐farm trees by local farmers, is an essential step towards documenting local ecological knowledge for sustainable landscape management. A study was therefore conducted in the Kumawu Forest District in the Ashanti Region of Ghana to assess how farmers conceptualise on‐farm tree management and develop local knowledge for it. Using a case study approach, data were collected through informal interviews and focus group discussions with 120 farmers drawn from 15 communities who were involved in the management of three cropping systems; cocoa, maize and cassava‐cocoyam‐plantain mix. It was observed that the farmers regard on‐farm tree management as a continuous process which occurs in three phases of the farming cycle; land preparation, crop cultivation and fallow management. For each of the three phases, farmers are guided by specific principles that ensure enough light penetration in‐between tree crowns in the land preparation phase, suitable spacing between trees and crops in the crop cultivation phase and adequate tree regeneration in the fallow phase. The decisions made during the selection of tree species, spacing of trees adjudged suitable for any particular cropping system and recruitment of saplings prior to the fallow phase of farming constitute tree management. Farmers develop tree management knowledge by studying the physical characteristics of species, matching them to ecological functions they could perform and how they are likely to respond to treatments meant to control or enhance their development. Species are then subjected to trial and recommended or otherwise.

中文翻译：

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农民如何发展本地生态知识以进行农场树木管理：加纳一些农业社区的观点

对本地农民管理农场树木意味着什么的科学见解是记录本地生态知识以实现可持续景观管理的重要步骤。因此，在加纳阿散蒂地区的库马乌森林地区进行了一项研究，以评估农民如何构想农场树木管理并为其发展当地知识。使用案例研究的方法，通过非正式访谈和与来自15个社区的120名农民的焦点小组讨论收集了数据，这些农民参与了三种耕种系统的管理；可可，玉米和木薯-可可粉-大蕉混合物。据观察，农民将农场树木管理视为一个连续的过程，发生在耕种周期的三个阶段。土地整备，农作物种植和休耕管理。对于这三个阶段，农民遵循特定的原则，这些原则应确保在整地阶段树冠之间有足够的光线穿透，在作物种植阶段树木和农作物之间保持适当的间距，并在休耕阶段确保足够的树木再生。在树种选择过程中做出的决定，适用于任何特定种植系统的树木间距的确定以及在耕作休耕阶段之前招募树苗的工作构成了树木管理。农民通过研究树种的物理特征，使树种与他们可以执行的生态功能相匹配以及他们对可能控制或促进其发展的处理方式有何反应，来发展树木管理知识。然后对物种进行试验并推荐或以其他方式进行。