Farmers’ Perceptions And Adoption Of Micro Catchments For Improved Establishment Of Agroforestry Trees In East Shewa Zone, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT

Tree planting on farms has both environmental and socioeconomic benefits. The practice of establishing trees and tree plantations is common among rural population in the dry regions of Ethiopia, who depend on livestock, trees and tree products for subsistence. Despite the importance of trees, their survival in these dry areas is low and often challenged by drought and water shortage. To address the water scarcity problem, two micro catchments specifically, micro basins and trenches were established in East Shewa zone of Ethiopia. This study sought to assess their suitability in enhancing the survival of three tree species namely Cordia Africana Lam, Grevillea robusta A.Cunn. ex R.Br, and Mangifera indica L. Survival of the trees grown in the micro catchments was compared to trees grown in the ordinary planting pits (control). The specific objectives of the study include 1. To assess farmers’ perception of the effectiveness of micro catchments in establishment of agroforestry trees. 2. To determine factors influencing adoption of micro catchments for tree survival. 3. To determine the effectiveness of micro catchments in enhancing survival of agroforestry trees. Data to assess farmers’ perceptions and factors influencing adoption of the micro catchments were collected through a household survey involving 142 farmers and key informant interviews. Tree survival data was collected at intervals of 6 months from planting time up to 36 months. Using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) and STATA descriptive statistics and regression models were used to analyze the data while the Kaplan Meier method using SPSS was used for tree survival analyses. Results showed that over 50% of the respondents perceived the micro catchments to be effective for survival of trees and conservation of soil moisture with a higher preference for micro basins. Variables such as land size, perception of water scarcity as a problem, labor availability had a significant influence on farmers’ perception of micro catchments. Further results showed that access to extension information, fencing of trees for protection, number of land parcels, previous use of soil and water conservation methods significantly influenced adoption of the micro catchments. A low survival rate was observed for all the three tree species (