Tag: farming
Tools for growth : Hybrid knowledge for agroforestry in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Farm Forestry and Buffer Zone Enhancement in Mountainous Southwest China: a way to Enhance Rural Economies and the Environment
Yunnan is a biodiversity hotspot. 74 % of forests are managed by communities, who are very dependent on them for additional income. The region suffers from major environmental problems (floods, erosion, pollution, forest fires/pests, etc.) with high pressure coming from central government to exploit water and timber resources.
Farmers’ perceptions and adaptation strategies to climate risks and their determinants: insights from a farming community of Aguie district in Niger
Globally climate risks are rising, and agriculture remains one of the most affected sectors. Niger is one of the most affected countries, where, there is little knowledge of farmers’ perceptions of climate risks and adaptation strategies. This research aimed to address these knowledge gaps. In total 160 farm households were randomly selected from two villages and respondents were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and a regression model were used for data analysis. Based on the survey results, the perceived risks include temperature increases, short rain season, recurrent droughts, stronger winds, increased pests, and diseases and reduced crop yields. Agronomic practices including crop association and diversification, changing planting dates, use of improved seed varieties, use of mineral fertilizers were implemented as adaptation strategies. Strategy adoption was significantly influenced by farming experience, education, farm and household size, soil fertility, livestock ratio. 80% of farmers adjusted their farming system, and the level of adaptation was significantly determined by soil fertility, climate change information, food production, and number of strategies adopted. This study highlights that policymakers should incorporate communities’ knowledge of environmental change and locally adapted solutions to streamline their transition to sustainability.
Policy Gaps and Opportunities for Scaling Agroforestry in sub-Saharan Africa: Recommendations from a policy review and recent practice
Farming trees, banishing hunger: how an agroforestry programme is helping smallholders in Malawi to grow more food and improve their livelihoods
This booklet tells the story of Malawi’s Agroforestry Food Security Programme. Funded by Irish Aid and coordinated by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), in partnership with a consortium of national institutions, the four-year programme will enable at least 200,000 families – or around .3 million of the poorest people in Malawi – to increase their food production and enhance their nutrition. At the same time, the programme will do much to improve soil fertility and restore degraded farmland. All of this will be done by encouraging farmers to use the agroforestry technologies developed by the World Agroforestry Centre and its partners over more than a decade of research in Southern Africa. During recent years, thousands of farming families – some of their stories are told here – have dramatically increased their welfare, and that of their land, by planting trees which capture atmospheric nitrogen, and by incorporating into their small farms a range of trees which yield fruit, firewood and livestock fodder. The benefits of these agroforestry technologies are clear; the task now is to promote their use throughout Malawi. This is precisely what the Agroforestry Food Security Programme is doing. During 2007, the programme supported almost 90,000 smallholder farmers by providing seeds, seedlings, nursery materials and training. This is just a beginning. These farmers will receive further support over the coming years, ensuring that they become self-sufficient and confident enough to share their skills with their neighbours. The World Agroforestry Centre and its national partners in Malawi would like to express their thanks to Irish Aid for its strong commitment to adopting science-based solutions to tackle hunger and poverty. Irish Aid’s faith in developing perennial solutions to perennial problems is exemplary, and its support, amounting to at least US$ 4 million over four years, should make hunger a thing of the past for a significant number of people in Malawi
COCOA futures: an innovative programme of research and training is transforming the lives of cocoa growers in Indonesia and beyond
Cocoa provides a living for over 6.5 million smallholder families, a significant source of revenue for a small number of tropical countries, and the key ingredient that sustains the chocolate industry. To keep pace with growing demand, annual cocoa production must rise by 1 million tonnes over the next decade. If that’s to happen, millions of hectares of old and unproductive cocoa gardens will have to be rehabilitated.
Dudukuhan tree farming systems in West Java: how to mobilize self-strengthening of community-based forest management?
Dudukuhan are traditional tree farming systems in West Java, Indonesia and can be divided into four types: (1) timber systems, (2) mixed fruit-timber-banana-annual crop systems, (3) mixed fruit-timber systems, and (4) fallow systems. Traditionally dudukuhan are managed on an extractive basis, with few inputs (quality germplasm, fertilizers, labor, etc.) allocated to maintain or improve system productivity. Farmers favour this management approach because of limited land tenure, small landholding size, off-farm employment opportunities, limited market access, or their limited experience with intensive tree management. Depending on the socioeconomic conditions and market opportunities the management of a specific piece of land may shift between the four types of dudukuhan. This transformation occurs gradually over a number of years and affects the tree diversity and total number of trees in the system. A desire for tree products, market opportunities, and land tenure status are the key factors that influence farmers’ decision concerning which type of dudukuhan to develop. Positive changes in these factors have a positive influence on tree diversity and tree density. Income generation is the primary factor influencing farmers’ choice of tree species. Soil conservation is a secondary but important factor influencing both choices of dudukuhan and tree species. Farmers are interested in intensifying the management of their dudukuhans, but hesitate because they do not know where to focus their efforts. Experience indicates that Nanggung farmers may be best served by transforming their traditional subsistence tree farming systems into semi-commercial enterprises that yield products to meet both home and market demand.
Fodder shrubs for dairy farmers in East Africa: making extension decisions and putting them into practice
Fodder shrubs provide a valuable feed supplement for dairy cows and goats, especially during the dry season. Their clear benefits have resulted in their widespread adoption in many parts of East Africa. These woody shrubs can be managed to provide nutritious fodder from their leaves, to supplement the diets of livestock, particularly dairy cows and goats. The leaves contain much more protein than the rest of the animals’ normal diet of grasses and crop residues, and this makes them able to produce more milk. Other types of livestock can also benefit from the extra protein, but it has the biggest effect on milk production. The fodder plants are usually managed by repeated pruning so that they are kept in the form of multi-stemmed shrubs, usually grown in rows to form a hedge about m high. This is not, of course, the only possible way of managing them, but it is a system that has been thoroughly researched and tested, and has proved to be very well suited to the mixed small-scale farming system found in many parts of East Africa (mainly Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda). This book focuses specifically on this system, and on the species that are commonly used in it.
A hard nut to crack
Great cooks in Cameroon have a secret ingredient: a fine, pale-brown paste made by grinding the roasted kernels of the forest tree species Ricinodendrom heudelotti. A small amount of the paste, known locally as njansang, livens up the flavour of food and thickens soups, making it a valued commodity. Extracted and dried, njansang stores well and fetches good prices on the market. In 2006 a study found that four self-help groups in central Cameroon earned 2.8 million CFA (US$5,500) from the sale of 3,000kg of njansang. Njansang’s high price is related to the long, tedious and labour-intensive artisanal processes used to obtain the commodity from R. heudelotti fruits. This difficult processing procedure represents a major constraint in the value chain, creating a bottleneck to wider production and commercialisation of this valuable commodity.