The impacts of agroforestry practices on soil fertility in rural areas

ABSTRACT

The concern of humanity is the need to tackle the increasing challenges of severe land degradation and desertification of the ecosystem. The study examined the impacts of agroforestry practices on soil fertility in rural areas of Katsina State, Nigeria. Purposive sampling technique was employed in collecting data from one hundred (100) rural farmers with structured questionnaire administered in two Local Government Areas of Katsina State, namely Batsari and Safana. The data were analyzed using statistics such as simple Percentage, Tables and charts. The study result showed the socio-economic characteristics of farmers in the rural areas such as age, gender, marital status, educational level, farm size, farming experience and farm ownership. Also from the study, it was discovered that 21% of farmers believed that the presence of the trees in their various farms helped them to control erosion which in turn improve soil fertility. The types of agro-forestry practiced by the respondents in the study area are as follows; most of the farmers 28% practiced parkland, followed by windbreak/shelterbelt with 22%, the next one is living fence or boundary system with 18%, followed by alley cropping with 10%, and then home garden with 8%, only 7% practiced silvopasture, the rest representing 7% practice other systems. The trees and shrubs species most favored by majority of the farmers are: Dalbejia/neem (Azadirachta indica), Doruwa (Parkia beglobosa), Mangoro (Mangifera indica), Kuka (Adansonia digitata), Tsamiya (Tamarindus indica), Zogalai (Moringa oleifera) and Acacia Senegalensis (Bagaruwa). On the basis of the findings, the study recommends that, education and research should be promoted, local involvement should be encouraged, financial support should be provided and policy should be reformed. It was therefore concluded that, there is need for an aggressive agroforestry extension to convince farmers to adopt a sustainable soil conservation farming system like agroforestry, which is fast disappearing from the earlier practices. Hence, the impacts of agroforestry practices in ensuring soil fertility, upholding ecological equilibrium and maintaining the environment should be put in the right perspective.