THE ROLE OF AGROFORESTRY PRACTICES IN SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT IN RURAL AREAS

(A CASE STUDY OF KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA)

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Author

Presented To

Department of Engineering

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 critical role of agroforestry practices in sustainable land management in rural areas of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Purposive sampling technique was employed in collecting data from three hundred and fifty-seven (357) rural farmers with structured questionnaire administered in threeLocal Government Areas of Kaduna State, namely Chikun, Zaria and Kubau.The data were analyzed using statistics such as simple Percentage, Tables, graphs, charts and Chi square to test for the hypothesis. 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.From the study, different land management practices were examined, and result showed that30% farmers adopt irrigation and fertilizer each, 21% of them practiced application of organic manure, 10% and 4% adopted mulching and cover crops respectively. Bush fallow and crop rotation are practiced by 4% and 1% respectively. Also from the study, it was discovered that 73% of farmers believed that the presence of the trees in their various farms helped them to control erosion, while only 17% and 4% applied Mulching and cover crops respectively. The rest of the 3% applied organic manure and other methods to control erosion.It was discovered from the survey that about 87% practiced agroforestry, while only 13% of the total sampled did not practice agroforestry. Also discovered that 83% respondents considered agroforestry as a land management practice, while only 16% did not consider it as means of land management practices and only 1% were indifferent.The types of agroforestry practiced by the respondents in the study area are as follows, most of the farmers 62% practiced parkland, followed by windbreak/shelterbelt with 15%, the next one is living fence or boundary system with 10%, followed by forest farming with 6%, alley cropping, riparian buffer system are practiced by 4% each, only 1% practiced silvopasture, the rest representing 11% did not practice any of these systems.The trees and shrubs species most favoured by majority of the farmers are Mangifera indica, Parkia clappertoniana, Butyrospermum paradoxum,Psidium guajava,Azadirachta indica,Adansonia digitata, Anacardium occidantale, Moringa oleifera, Anogeissus leiocapus, Musa sappientum.The pattern of crop production showed that Maize, Tomatoes, Sorghum, Rice and Pepper are the principal crops in the study area since more than one-quarter of the total sampled cultivate them every year. Other crops common in the area but are produced at insignificant measure by few farmers are Ground nut, Onion, Millet, Green Beans, Carrot, Cabbage and Sweet Potatoes. 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 land management farming system like agroforestry, which is fast disappearing from the earlier practices. Hence, the role of agroforestry practices in ensuring sustainable use of land, upholding ecological equilibrium and maintaining the environment should be put in the right perspective.