On-farm Demonstration of Homegarden Agroforestry Design and Its Role in Improving Livelihood of Small Holder Farmers at West Arsi Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

Food shortage and security are the major livelihood challenges that have been facing developing countries. Homegarden agroforestry is one of the agroforestry options to overcome these challenges. The research was designed to evaluate the design role in improving the livelihood of smallholders, to see the farmers’ perception of the design irrespective of their existing practice (Enset Monoculture), and to set a baseline for the improvement of the practice design for future at the area. Enset and coffee are major perennial crops in the experiment. Both crops lack appropriate management i.e. especially space and its monoculture system which lacks a mixture of annual and perennial crops gaining a high economic return. The experiment focused on spacing that can give the chance of integrating different crops within different arrangement regimes and behaving different layers of strata. The design was given the trial farmers the opportunity of growing a mixture of different annual and perennial crops under the arrangement. 2m spacing b/n coffee, 1m spacing b/n coffee and Enset as well as 2m distance between Enset were used in the arrangement. The result showed that the average maturity of Enset in the arrangement is 4 years while that of monoculture is 6 years. The productivity of the design was high as compared to the monoculture one that also got high acceptance among farmers. The growth pattern of perennial crop/ tree in the arrangement is increasing which can formulate different strata in the future as it is known in the complex homegarden agroforestry system (HAFs). Overall it has a greater advantage for ameliorating the microclimate of the area and also has greater value in conserving the biodiversity of the area.