Abstract
Despite the emerging and promising of on-farm trees to the biodiversity conservation, economic and ecological importance, there is still a dearth of empirical scientific information on how farmers manage trees to improve floristic diversity across Agroforestry land uses in semi-arid. Therefore, this research was aimed to (i) investigate and compare the floristic composition and diversity across three Agroforestry practices; (ii) examine regeneration status of selected trees species; (iii) describe management practices and species preference. Two peasant associations (Anabelesa and Digba) were purposively selected. Then, farmers who practice homegardens, parklands, live fencings and woodlots were stratified based on local wealth category. “91” households were randomly selected from each wealth category. Different quadrats were laid out for inventory. 24 key informants were used. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 software. A total of 49 woody species, belonging to 44 genera and 30 families were encountered across the four land uses. The mean Shannon diversity index of rich farmers was higher over medium and poor. The mean basal area and stem number ranged from 0.27 to 48.2 m2 ha−1 and 9.48 to 2320.83 stems ha−1, respectively. Trees with the top five highest IVI in homegardens and live fencings was showed a Reversed J-shaped diameter class distribution. Farmers employed pruning, thinning, composting, pollarding, lopping, coppicing, weeding, protection and watering. Species Preference was influenced by the purposes of trees. These results suggest that acknowledging the farmers’ indigenous knowledge on trees management is crucial for enhancing biodiversity conservation in the agricultural ecosystems in semi-arid.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abebe T, Sterck FJ, Wiersum KF, Bongers F (2013) Diversity, composition and density of trees and shrubs in agroforestry homegardens in Southern Ethiopia. Agrofor Syst 87(6):1283–1293
Azene BT (2007) Useful trees and shrubs of Ethiopia: identification, propagation and management in 17 agro-ecological zones. RELMA in ICRAF project, World Agroforestry Centre, Eastern Africa Region
Bajigo A, Tadesse M (2015) woody species diversity of traditional agroforestry practices in gununo watershed in wolayitta zone. Ethiopia for Res 4(155):2
Bernard HR (2011) Research methods in anthropology: qualitative and quantitative approaches. Rowman Altamira
Boffa JM, Kindt R, Katumba B, Jourget JG, Turyomurugyendo L (2008) Management of tree diversity in agricultural landscapes around Mabira forest reserve, Uganda. Afr J Ecol 46:24–32
Central Statistical Agency CSA (2007) Summary and statistical report of the 2007 population and housing census results. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Dejene T, Agamy MS, Agúndez D, Martin-Pinto P (2020) Ethnobotanical survey of wild edible fruit tree species in lowland areas of Ethiopia. Forests 11(2):177
Duguma LA, Hager H (2010) Woody plants diversity and possession, and their future prospects in small-scale tree and shrub growing in agricultural landscapes in central highlands of Ethiopia’. Small-Scale for. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11842-009-9108-0
Edwards S, Mesfin T, Hedberg I (1995) Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea, The National Herbarium. Addis Ababa Univ/dep Syst Bot Upps Univ Addis Ababa/upps 2:2
Garrity D (2004) Agroforestry and the achievement of the millennium development goals. Agrofor Syst 61:5–17
Gebrehiwot K, Headquarters NK (2004) Dryland agro-forestry strategy for Ethiopia. ICRAF Nairobi-Kenya 1–26
Gelaw AM, Singh BR, Lal R (2014) Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen stocks under different land uses in a semiarid watershed in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Agric Ecosyst Environ 188(2014):256–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2014.02.035
Hachoofwe EM (2012) Local ecological knowledge of trees on farms, constraints and opportunities for further integration in Tigray region, northern Ethiopia: a case study of smallholder farmers in Abreha WaAtsbeha and Adi gudom (Doctoral dissertation, Bangor University)
Hernandez RP, Koohafkan P, Antoine J (2004) Assessing carbon stocks and modeling win-win scenarios of carbon sequestration through land-use changes. Food Agric Org United Nations, Rome, pp 25–120
Iiyama M, Derero A, Kelemu K, Muthuri C, Kinuthia R, Ayenkulu E, Kiptot E, Hadgu K, Mowo J, Sinclair FL (2017) Understanding patterns of tree adoption on farms in semi-arid and sub-humid Ethiopia. Agrofor Syst 91(2):271–293
Kassa G, Abebe T, Ewnetu Z (2015) Diversity, density and management of trees in different agro-forestry practices of Yem special district, Southern Ethiopia. SINET Ethiop J Sci 38(1):1–16
Kent M, Coker P (1992) Vegetation description and analysis: a practical approach. Belhaven Press, London
Krebs CJ (1999) Ecological methodology, 2nd edn. Addison-Wesley Longman, Menlo Park, CA
Lauriks R, De Wulf R, Carter SE, Niang A (1999) A methodology for the description of border hedges and the analysis of variable influencing their distribution: a case study in western Kenya. Agrofor Syst 44: 69–86. Page 15 of 28 URL: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tf
Lu X, Xia J, Jang J (2010) Diversity and composition of understory vegetation in tropical seasonal rainforest of Xishuangbanna, Southwest China. Int J Tropical Biol 59:455–463
Madalcho AB, Tefera MT (2016) Management of traditional agroforestry practices in Gununo watershed in Wolaita Zone. Ethiop for Res 5(163):2
Magurran AE (1988) Why diversity. Ecological diversity and its measurement. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 1–5
Mallya BS (2013) Contribution of on-farm trees towards conservation of the biodiversity of Amani nature reserve, Tanzania (Doctoral dissertation, Sokoine University of Agriculture)
Martin GJ (1995) Ethnobotany: a method manual. Chapman and Hall, London, p 1995
Mengistu B, Asfaw Z (2016) Woody species diversity and structure of agroforestry and adjacent land uses in Dallo Mena district. South-East Ethiop Nat Resour 7(10):515
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment MEA (2005) Ecosystems and human well-being: desertification synthesis. World Resources Institute, Washington, DC, pp 1–22
Molla A, Asfaw Z (2014) Woody species diversity under natural forest patches and adjacent enset-coffee based agroforestry in the Midland of Sidama Zone, Ethiopia. Int J Biodivers Conserv 6(10):708–723
Molla A, Kewessa G (2015) Woody species diversity in traditional agroforestry practices of Dellomenna district, Southeastern Ethiopia: implication for maintaining native woody species. Int J Biodivers 2015:1–13
Mulugeta G, Admassu M (2014) Woody species diversity and their preferences on farmers Land Holding. J Nat Sci Res 4(9):96–108
Negash M (2007) Trees management and livelihoods in Gedeo’s agroforests, Ethiopia. For Trees Livelihoods 17(2):157–168
Negash M, Yirdaw E, Luukkanen O (2012) Potential of indigenous multistrata agroforests for maintaining native floristic diversity in the south-eastern Rift Valley escarpment, Ethiopia. Agrofor Syst 85(1):9–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-011-9408-1
Nikiema A (2005) Agroforestry parkland species diversity: uses and management in semi-arid west Africa (Burkina Faso). PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen ISBN 90–8504–168–6. p 102
Segura M, Kanninen M, Suarez D (2006) Allometric models for estimating aboveground biomass of shade trees and coffee bushes grown together. Agrofor Syst 68:143–150
Taro Y (1967) Statistics, an introductory analysis, 2nd edn. Harper and Row, New York
Tefera B, Ruelle ML, Asfaw Z, Abraha Tsegay B (2014) Woody plant diversity in an Afromontane agricultural landscape (Debark District, northern Ethiopia). For Trees Livelihoods 23(4):261–279
Tesfaye G, Teketay D, Fetene M, Beck E (2010) Regeneration of seven indigenous tree species in a dry Afromontane forest, southern Ethiopia. Flora-Morphol Distrib Funct Ecol Plants 205(2):135–143
Tewolde BGE (1989) The environmental variables which led to the ecological crisis in Ethiopia. Coenoses 4:61–67
Tolera M, Asfaw Z, Lemenih M, Karltun E (2008) Woody species diversity in a changing landscape in the south-central highlands of Ethiopia. Agr Ecosyst Environ 128(1–2):52–58
Yakob G, Asfaw Z, Zewdie S (2014) Wood production and management of woody species in homegardens agroforestry: the case of smallholder farmers in Gimbo district, south west Ethiopia. Int J Nat Sci Res 2(10):165–175
Zebene A (2003) Tree species diversity, topsoil conditions and arbuscular mycorrhizal association in the Sidama traditional agroforestry land use, Southern Ethiopia. Doctoral Thesis, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala. Silvestria, 263
Zewdie W, Kindu M (2011) November. Land use land cover change analysis in selected drylands of Ethiopia: Implication for sustainable development. In: Annual proceeding of research and development in dryland forests of Ethiopia. Forum for Environment. pp 123–135
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to thank experts of the Lemo district, farmers and key informants for their assistance during data collection. The first author is thankful to Hawassa University NORAD PROJECT for granting a research fund. The authors also sincerely acknowledge the two anonymous reviewers and editors for their constructive suggestions that greatly helped us in improving our manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Abide, E.B., Asfaw, Z. On-farm tree species diversity and management in semi-arid of Lemo district, Southern Ethiopia. Agroforest Syst 96, 817–828 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-022-00743-w
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-022-00743-w