Views and Attitudes of Local Farmers towards Planting, Growing and Managing Trees in Agroforestry System in Basona Worena District, Ethiopia

Abstract

Agroforestry is a dynamic ecological-based natural resources management practice that integrates food crops, trees, and livestock in an agricultural landscape where the components may have ecological, economical, and social impacts. This study aimed at examining the views and attitudes of local farmers towards ‘planting, growing, and managing trees in agroforestry system’ in Basona Worena District, Ethiopia. As there was already a traditional agroforestry adopted by the farmers, the study kebele was purposely selected. A structured questionnaire was developed by accounting different socioeconomic variables. A total of 94 respondents were randomly contacted to collect the questionnaire data. Multiple linear regression technique was employed to analyze and interpret the data. Contrary to expectation, the findings showed that a greater proportion (about 60%) of the respondents did not practice agroforestry. However, those farmers who used to practice traditional agroforestry mainly exercised it to meet their household wood demands. Based on their economic values, the most commonly preferred tree species planted and grown by the farmers in descending order, included eucalyptus species, Acacia abyssinica, Croton macrostachyus, Sesbania sesban, Cupressus lusitanica, and Olea africana. The results also suggested that the farmers had conscious perceptions to determine the negative and positive effects of tree species on food crops, soils, and water. Generally, a greater proportion of the farmers strongly agreed (73.33%) that they had developed positive attitudes towards ‘planting, growing, and managing trees in agroforestry system’. Moreover, the multiple linear regression models showed that different socioeconomic variables significantly influenced the attitudes of farmers towards ‘planting, growing, and managing trees in agroforestry system’. Generally, the regression model explained about 36% of the variance in attitudes of the respondents towards ‘planting, growing, and managing trees’. Hence, providing improved agroforestry extension services, including incentives (e.g., seeds, tree seedlings, technical supports, and credits) may help increase the active participation of the farmers to adopt plant, grow, and manage trees in agroforestry system. Moreover, provision of adequate technical trainings on agroforestry technologies and establishing demonstration site is indispensable to increase the awareness level of the local farmers and thereby promote the adoption of agroforestry technologies in Basona Worena District and elsewhere.