Sustainable Agroforestry Practice in Jessore District of Bangladesh

Abstract

The systematic Agroforestry practice is being popular day by day in Monirampur Upazilla of Jessore district of Bangladesh. Considering this situation, the present research work was conducted with a view to know agroforestry practice and to find out the potentialities of agroforestry based on sustainability. Multistage sampling technique method by using semi-structured questionnaires was followed in the field survey to collect data and information in the year of 2014-2016 from 140 respondents in Monirampur Upazilla of Jessore district in Bangladesh to fulfill the purpose of the research. The results showed that most of the respondents are middle aged (45%), education level is primary (32%) with medium size family (54%) and 74% of the respondents are involved in agriculture. Communication exposure is very low (70%) with low organizational participation (55%). The results illustrated that the respondents preferred homestead agroforestry (55%) as their major land use practice followed by livestock under tree cover (16%), tree crop association (13%), boundary plantation (9%) and woodlot agroforestry (7%) in the research area. Besides, 80% respondents get all benefits (environmental, social, economic, and biological) followed by economic benefit directly (10%), social benefit directly (5%), environmental benefit directly (3%), and biological benefit directly (2%). Most of them (90%) get security, employment generation and household income which accelerate their livelihood pattern. Majority respondents (64%) showed more favorable attitudes, 29% respondents showed favorable attitudes, only 7% showed neutral attitudes and no one shows negative attitudes towards agroforestry. Housing condition, proper sanitation, and asset possessions before practicing agroforestry were 40%, 77% and 35% respectively and after practicing agroforestry that changed condition are 75%,100% and 60% which revealed that peoples are benefitted due to practice of agroforestry. The result also revealed that majority primary educated respondents are involved in agriculture with medium size family mostly practiced mixed agroforestry around homestead along with livestock under tree cover, tree crop association, boundary plantation, woodlot agroforestry through possessing more favorable attitudes which ensures environmental, social, economical, biological benefits, enhance livelihood pattern, security, employment, household income etc. But communication exposure and organizational participation should be increased to adopt more technique and technology. Thus, agroforestry improve the proper utilization of resources; enhance environmentally friendly, socio-economic sustainable production system and livelihood which is socially reasonable and economically feasible through diversification of input and output which reflects that agroforestry is a sustainable system in Bangladesh.