1 Adoption, Profitability, Impacts and Scaling-Up of Agroforestry ...

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2Table of contents1.0 Introduction............................................................................................................. 32.0 Agroforestry technology options in southern African ............................................ 42.1 “Fertilizer tree systems”..................................................................................... 52.2 Biomass transfer.................................................................................................. 62.3 Indigenous fruit tree crop system........................................................................ 72.4 Rotational woodlots ............................................................................................ 82.5 Fodder banks:...................................................................................................... 93.0 Adoption of agroforestry technologies ................................................................... 93.1 From technical feasibility to farmer adoption..................................................... 93.2 Factors affecting the adoption of agroforestry.................................................. 103.3 Socio-anthropological perspective for understanding farmers’ adoption ofagroforestry................................................................................................................... 124.0 Financial profitability and returns to investment in agroforestry technologies .... 135.0 Scaling-up of agroforestry technologies ............................................................... 165.1 Approaches and methods for scaling-up........................................................... 165.2 Number of farmers reached through agroforestry technologies ....................... 195.3 Constraints to the scaling up of agroforestry .................................................... 206.0 Impact of agroforestry technologies ..................................................................... 226.1 Impacts on yield and food security ................................................................... 236.2 Impact on the environment ............................................................................... 246.3 Impact on income generation and diversification of livelihood ....................... 256.4 Other impacts.................................................................................................... 277.0 Discussion and way forward................................................................................. 28References......................................................................................................................... 31Acknowledgement: The authors are grateful for the support provided by the CanadianInternational Development Agency (CIDA), Rockefeller Foundation, SwedishInternational Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the Netherlands and nationalgovernments in the sub-region to the research and development of agroforestry insouthern Africa.
31.0 IntroductionDue to a mix of agro-ecological factors (incessant drought, low soil fertility,environmental degradation) and other man-made problems (illiteracy, unfavorabledevelopment policies), southern Africa region faces several challenges includingworsening poverty, food insecurity, low income base and more recently HIV/AIDSpandemic. Low soil fertility is identified as one of the greatest biophysical constraints toincreasing agricultural productivity (Bekunda et al., 1997, Sanchez, 1999). Thedegradation of soils is caused by a breakdown of the traditional production systemsresulting from shortening of fallow periods due to population pressure (Kwesiga et al.,1999). With the collapse of the erstwhile government support for the use of mineralfertilizer (e.g. through subsidies and distribution channels), in the 1990s, the ability ofmost smallholder farmers to purchase the same level of mineral fertilizers was reducedbecause the input became unaffordable to them. In addition, many countries in southernAfrica are landlocked thus increasing the cost of transporting fertilizer from the ports.Howard and Mungoma (1996) estimated that the use of mineral fertilizer fell by 70%following an increase in the cost of the inputs. The sub-region also faces a rapiddegradation of the miombo woodland, shortage of fodder and decreasing access tofuelwood supplies (Kwesiga and Beniest, 1998). For example, Chidumayo (1997)estimated that Zambia alone loses about 200 000 ha of forests per year. Some of the keyavenues for overcoming food insecurity and rural poverty in southern Africa includereversing soil fertility depletion, intensifying and diversifying land use with introductionof high value products, and facilitating an appropriate policy environment for the smallholderfarming sector. While mineral fertilizer is still one of the best options for
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Page 7 and 8: 7estimated that yield of 3 t/ha of
Page 9 and 10: 92.5 Fodder banks:This involves the
Page 11 and 12: 11adoption of agroforestry; why do
Page 13 and 14: 13technologies from the perspective
Page 15 and 16: 15sesban fallow fields, an extra 1.
Page 17 and 18: 17National Agroforestry Steering Co
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Page 31 and 32: 31comparisons of the results diffic
Page 33 and 34: 33Bekunda M.A., A. Bationo and H. S
Page 35 and 36: 35Kwesiga, F., Akinnifesi, F.K., Ma
Page 37: 37Thangata, P.H. and J.R.R. Alavala

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