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Agroforestry of Smallholder Farmers in Ethiopia: Practices and Benefits

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Abstract

This study investigates an under-rated and not widely recognized traditional agroforestry practice carried out by smallholders in the highlands of Ethiopia. The purposeful retaining of indigenous trees on farmers’ croplands is recognized as separate from other agroforestry practices. Farmers cultivate indigenous trees for a variety of benefits, including livelihoods, ecosystem services and the existence of scenic and economically valued birds. The adoption of farmland agroforestry has been driven by similar household-level variables that explain the adoption of many other agroforestry practices. However, in contrast to other agroforestry practices farmland agroforestry is not a management priority for farmers, an observation that appears due to a lack of appreciation of naturally occurring trees. Because agroforestry on farmland is declining, interventions are required that improve extension services, availability of indigenous tree seedlings and credit, support reliable legal frameworks and land titles, and foster the processing and value adding of tree products suitable for higher value uses.

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Notes

  1. According to Article 10(1) of the FDRE Federal Nagarit Gazeta Proclamation no. 425/2005, land entitlement will be withdrawn if land is damaged. According to Article 13(1) land use plans shall be prepared by the competent authority based on the watershed approach. According to Article 13(2) of the revised Amhara National Regional State Rural Land Administration And Use Proclamation Zikir HIG Proclamation no.133/2006, rural land use plans shall be prepared considering land use, soil type, air condition, vegetation coverage and socio-economic situations based on a catchment approach; and according to Article 20(1) land users shall plant and properly protect trees around their land. However, the common practice of replacing indigenous trees on farms by fast-growing exotic tree species is accepted as complying with these regulations.

  2. In Ethiopia government administration is at a federal or national level, then regional, zonal, Woreda and Kebele levels.

  3. This article contains supplementary materials available on the Springer website, including a table on systematic review of literature, a figure for livelihood ranking, table for Tropical Livestock Unit (TLU) in which each livestock species, gender and age category is measured by a standard livestock unit conversion factor as well as table for variables explanation.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Nature and Biodiversity Union (NABU) and Amhara Regional Agricultural Research Institute (ARARI) in Ethiopia for financial and logistical support (including access to vehicle and provision of stationery during data collection). We also thank Prof. Brett Butler and the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions. We are especially grateful to Prof. Stephen Harrison for hugely contributing to the progress and present shape of the paper.

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Correspondence to Dagninet Amare.

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Amare, D., Wondie, M., Mekuria, W. et al. Agroforestry of Smallholder Farmers in Ethiopia: Practices and Benefits. Small-scale Forestry 18, 39–56 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11842-018-9405-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11842-018-9405-6

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