Agroforestry a Diversified Agriculture Accommodating Dense Population: The Case of Yirgacheffe Woreda, Gedeo Zone, Snnpr, Ethiopia
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Date
2011-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Ethiopia, as in many sub-Saharan African countries is undergoing extensive environmental
degradation. This is manifesting itself through rapid deforestation, thinning of tree cover, soil
erosion and declining soil productivity. Various explanations have been given for the causes of
such degradation. Among the causes, the population growth-environment nexus has been
extensively debated. As a result, contrasting views, i.e., the "Malthusian" and the "Boserupian"
emerged. Similarly land degradation in sub-Saharan Africa is a subject of an on-going debate.
Conflicting perspectives emerged on the effects of increasing population on land degradation.
The bulk of literature emphasizes that land degradation is caused mainly by population pressure
and several related issues, while a recently growing literature views population pressure as an
important resource for conserving the environment through enhancing intensive farming of the
agroforestry system.
The thesis aims at analyzing important components of the Gedeo agroforestry system namely IK,
inclusion of varied large trees and crop diversity on household farms in the face of intense
demographic pressure. The potential effects of demographic variables on the IK of agroforestry
system, inclusion of diverse large trees, and the diversity of crops is analyzed by setting out three
specific objectives. Data obtained from a survey of 420 sample households, Focus Group
Discussions and Key informant interviews in 4 kebeles ofYirgachaffe woreda is employedfor the
analysis. Regression models are estimated to analyze the potential effect of demographic
variables on IK of agrofores!IY practice, and the relationship between demographic variables
and the inclusion of diverse large trees in croplands and to identify variables that explain the
farm level crop diversity.
Results indicate that demographic pressure through a positive influence on the components of
the agroforestry system, namely, IK system of the community, inclusion and conservation of more
diverse large trees in croplands, and diversity of crop species on household farms is likely to
enhance environmental conservation and agricultural production in the Gedeo setting. Hence,
the intriguing question of how the study area is able to accommodate the high population density
without facing serious environmental issues finds part of the explanation from the evidence that
population pressure enhances the key environmental components of the agroforestry system.
This suggests that taking action to devising a way of transferring IKfrom the bigger sized and
older households to the smaller sized and younger households, enhancing information and input
sharing on the management of diverse large trees, and raising the capacity of small sized and
female headed households is a useful strategy 10 enhance the important components of Ihe Gedeo
agroforestry system and thereby conserve the environment.
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Accommodating