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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Farmers' fruit tree-growing strategies in the humid forest zone of Cameroon and Nigeria
Agroforestry Systems, Volume 67, No. 2, Year 2006
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Description
Many studies have stressed the importance of trees to rural households. Few, however, have focused on actual numbers and densities of trees in different land-use systems. Based on community-level participatory research in six communities, semi-structured household interviews and full-farm fruit tree inventories, this study aims to understand farmers' tree-planting strategies. Relationships between the diversity, number and density of fruit trees and farm size, land-use system, land tenure, distance from the homestead, proximity to the forest, market access and household characteristics are investigated. The key factors determining the differences in tree-growing strategies between communities appear to be market access, land use and access to forest resources. Within communities, differences between individual households were less easy to explain but tenure was important as was farm size. Smaller farms had higher fruit tree densities, a relationship that was particularly strong in communities with good market access. Overall there was a great deal of variability both within and between communities and many of the factors affecting tree-planting decisions were found to be highly inter-related. Despite this complexity, trees on farm play an important role in rural household's livelihoods. Therefore, expansion of tree cultivation should be recognized as a promising pathway to achieve increased income and food production by policy makers and extensionists alike. In addition to improved tree propagation and management techniques, farmers should be strengthened in the processing and marketing of agroforestry tree products and more emphasis should be placed on the development of tree enterprises. By doing so, farmers will be able to earn a more important and consistent income from fruit trees, contributing to the Millennium Development Goals. © Springer 2006.
Authors & Co-Authors
Degrande, Ann
Kenya, Nairobi
World Agroforestry Centre
Schreckenberg, Kate
United Kingdom, London
Overseas Development Institute
Mbosso, Charlie
Kenya, Nairobi
World Agroforestry Centre
Anegbeh, Paul O.
Nigeria
Iita/icraf
Okafor, Victoria Nwamaka
Nigeria
Iita/icraf
Kanmegne, Jacques
Cameroon, Yaounde
Institut de Recherche Agricole Pour le Développement
Statistics
Citations: 109
Authors: 6
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1007/s10457-005-2649-0
ISSN:
01674366
Research Areas
Food Security
Health System And Policy
Study Locations
Cameroon
Nigeria