Tag: Highlands
Local Knowledge on Factors Leading to Agroforestry Diversification in Mid-hills of Nepal
Intra-Annual Radial Growth of Pinus kesiya var. langbianensis Is Mainly Controlled by Moisture Availability in the Ailao Mountains, Southwestern China
Intra-annual monitoring of tree growth dynamics is increasingly applied to disentangle growth-change relationships with local climate conditions. However, such studies are still very limited in subtropical regions which show a wide variety of climate regimes. We monitored stem radius variations (SRV) of Pinus kesiya var. langbianensis (Szemao pine) over five years (2012–2015 and 2017) in the subtropical monsoon mountain climate of the Ailao Mountains, Yunnan Province, southwest China. On average, the stem radial growth of Szemao pine started in early March and ended in early October, and the highest growth rates occurred during May to June. Stem radius increments were synchronous with precipitation events, while tree water deficit corresponded to the drought periods. Correlation analysis and linear mixed-effects models revealed that precipitation and relative humidity are the most important limiting factors of stem radial increments, whereas air temperature and vapor pressure deficit significantly affected tree water balance and may play an important role in determining the growing season length and seasonality (i.e., duration, start, and cessation). This study reveals that moisture availability plays a major role for tree growth of P. kesiya var langbianensis in the Ailao Mountains, southwest China.
Agronomic and economic appraisal of alley cropping with Leucaena diversifolia on an acid soil in the highlands of Burundi
Although alley cropping has been shown elsewhere to permit continuous cropping, it has not been widely tested in the highlands of east and central Africa where it has the additional potential of controlling soil erosion. The effect of four rates (0, 30, 60 and 90 kg N ha1) of inorganic N on the performance of alley cropping using Leucaena diversifolia as the hedgerow species was studied in the central highlands of Burundi. Significant increase in maize yield (average of 26%) due to alley cropping was only first realised in 1992, three years after the commencement of the trial. In 1993, the average yield advantage of the alley cropping plots was 21%. The prunings augmented the response of maize yield to inorganic N in 1992 and 1993. Compared with the control, economic benefits over the five-year period for all the treatments were negative.
Bark for sale: the adoption potential of Prunus africana as an agroforestry tree for small-scale farmers in Cameroon
The bark of Prunus africana, a tree growing in African highland forests, has been exported from Cameroon to Europe since 1972 for the treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Bark harvesting has had a devastating effect on the tree in Cameroon, Africa’s largest P . africana bark exporter. This paper assesses the adoption potential of P. africana a m o n g s m a l l-scale farmers,that is, its profitability, acceptability and market potential. While not as profitable as Eucalyptusspp, an alternative enterprise, farmers want to grow P. africana because it is compatible with many crops and has multiple uses –bark sales, medicine, tools, poles, seed sales, and mulch. In fact, several thousand farmers have planted the tree. The availability of markets also appears high, as herbal treatments of BPH are popular and demand is likely to grow. Research is needed in four areas to help P . africana play a sustainable role in improving the livelihoods of s m a l l-scale farmers: domestication, understanding farmers’ experiences growing and using the tree, market assessments, and tree tenure. Moreover, progress on promoting P. Africanaa s a s m a l lholder enterprise is dependent on Cameroon meeting the demands of the European Union and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to conserve and sustainably manage the tree
Soil and other constraints to agricultural production with and without trees in the North, Lampung benchmark area of the Alternatives to Slash and Burn Project
Diagnostic indicators of soil quality in productive and non-productive smallholders’ fields of Kenya’s Central highlands
Food security in the East African Highlands is dependent upon the productivity of lands managed by smallholders who face difficult challenges in maintaining the fertility of their soils. A study was conducted to identify indicators of soil fertility status that are consistent with farmers’ perceptions of soil fertility. Physical, chemical and biological properties of soils were measured from paired fields identified as either productive or non-productive by 12 farmers and compared to findings of a household survey on soil fertility management. Special attention was given to the potential of different soil organic matter fractions to serve as diagnostic indicators of soil fertility. Farmers’ criteria for distinguishing soil productivity included crop performance, soil tilth, moisture and colour and presence of weeds and soil invertebrates. All farmers attributed low fertility to inadequate use of organic and inorganic fertilisers (100%) and removal of crop residues (100%). Other causes included continuous cropping (83%), lack of crop rotation (66%) and soil erosion (42%). Productive soils had significantly higher soil pH, effective cation exchange capacity, exchangeable cations, extractable P and total N and P than non-productive soils. Total organic C and several estimates of soil labile C including particulate organic C (POC), three Ludox density separates of POC, KMnO4-oxidizable C and microbial biomass C were significantly greater in productive soils. Soil microbial biomass N, net N mineralisation and soil respiration were also significantly higher in productive soils. Farmers’ perceptions of soil quality were substantiated through soil chemical analyses and soil organic matter fractions provided precise information on these differences. The similarity of soil physical properties in productive and non-productive fields suggests that differences in chemical and biological indicators may have resulted, in part, from smallholders’ management and are not inherent properties of the soils.
Agroforestry handbook for the montane zone of Uganda
Agriculture supports the livelihoods of most people in Uganda, particularly farmers, whoconstitute over 80% of the countryís population. The government has formulated poli-cies to improve agricultural production. Consequently, a Plan for Modernization of Agri-culture (PMA) has been adopted, which includes the following strategies:ïpromote specialization in productionï promote improved agricultural technologies ï promote profit-driven investment (commercialization)ï diversify land use, including promoting agroforestryïcontrol land fragmentationïpromote production of high-value cropsIn Uganda, agroforestry research started in 1988. Through rigorous promotion, farmers have adopted some technologies generated from research. The promotion of agroforestryin Uganda has, however, been constrained by limited access to suitable tree seeds and seedlings, inadequate numbers of extension staff and limited support in terms of infor-mation and facilities.
Calliandra calothyrsus: assessing the early stages of adoption of a fodder shrub in the highlands of central Kenya
The uptake of Calliandra calothyrsus as a fodder shrub by small-scale dairy farmers was assessed several years after the shrubs were introduced to farmers in on-farm trials. There was strong evidence that farmers were adopting the shrub. A random sample of 45 farmers had increased their average number of shrubs from 84 in their first plantings in 1991–1992 to 311 after 6–7 years. Moreover, farmer-to-farmer dissemination appeared to be high, as 47% had harvested seed and 70% of these had given or sold seed or seedlings to other farmers. The net benefits of using 6 kg of fresh calliandra leaves per day as a substitute for 2 kg purchased dairy meal or as a supplement to farmers’ basefeeding regime amounted to about US$130 per cow year1. By 2000, several thousand farmers in central Kenya were feeding calliandra to their dairy animals. Potential benefits from adopting calliandra or similar fodder shrub species in Kenya’s smallholder dairy sector amounted to about US$139,000,000 year1. Several measures were proposed to help realize this potential: facilitating on-farm research and dissemination of information and planting material, research to identify new fodder shrub species, and assessing the constraints and incentives affecting fodder shrub adoption.
Forage potential of eight woody species: intake and growth rates of local young goats in the highland region of Rwanda
Eight woody fodder species adapted to the highlands of Rwanda were evaluated in terms of dry matter intake in one experiment. Animals were offered a daily diet comprising 4.0 of fresh matter of Setaria splendida grass supplemented with or without one of the eight fodder species tested. In all cases, total daily feed intake was increased by the addition of woody fodder. Daily intake of the woody fodder was high for Acacia koaia, Mimosa scabrella and Acacia koa at 43.7, 42.6 and 41.9 g/kg BW0.75, respectively. The dry matter intake of the other five species (Alnus acuminata, Chamaecytisus palmensis, Hagenia abyssinica, Acacia mearnsii and Acacia melanoxylon) ranged from 18.9 to 30.1 g/kg BW0.75 per day. In another experiment, a basic daily diet of 4.0 kg of fodder (in fresh weight) was given to each animal. This ratio comprised S. splendida supplemented with M. scabrella and incorporated at 0 (control), 45% and 66% (fresh weight basis) of the total daily diet. Improved weight gain was obtained when setaria was supplemented with M. scabrella with daily weight gain of 31, 47 and 51 g/animal for 0, 45 and 66% M. scabrella, respectively.