Socioeconomic Indicators of Bamboo Use for Agroforestry Development in the Dry Semi-Deciduous Forest Zone of Ghana<strong> </strong>

Abstract

Bamboo agroforestry is currently being promoted as a viable land use option to reduce dependence on natural forest for wood fuels in Ghana. To align the design and introduction of bamboo agroforestry in conformity with farmers' needs, perceptions, skills and local cultural practices, information on its acceptability and adoption potential among farmers is necessary. It is therefore the objective of this study to (1) describe bamboo ethnobotany and (2) assess socioeconomic factors that affect the acceptability and adoption of bamboo and its integration into farming practices. Accordingly, information has been collected from 200 farmers in the dry semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana. The study identified the socioeconomic risks and uncertainties as well as biophysical factors that are likely to influence the potential adoption of bamboo agroforestry in the study region. Gender, age, farmers' known uses of bamboo, the practice of leaving trees on farmlands, farmers' networking and access to extension services, land availability and ownership by farmers were identified as suitable predictor variables for the adoption of bamboo agroforestry. It is envisaged that bamboo agroforestry is a good bet in the DSFZ though there is the need to explore domestic energy (fuelwood) provision and substitution potential in order to have a broader picture of the technology.Keywords: adoption; land-use; degradation; ethnobotany; networking; agroforestry; dry semi-deciduous Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 7 November 2017 doi:10.20944/preprints201711.0045.v1 3 IntroductionDeforestation emanating from excessive wood extraction for wood fuels continues to be a major agent for land productivity decline as well as environmental degradation world-wide [1,2]. In Ghana, deforestation rate stands at 112.54 km 2 per annum largely attributed to expansion of agriculture and wood harvesting for charcoal production. According to Ghana Population & Housing Census [3], about 73% of rural households and 48% of urban households used firewood and charcoal, respectively, for cooking. It is also estimated that 79% of the country's charcoal supply comes from ecologically more fragile savanna zones, 15% from the semideciduous zones and only 6% from the rain forest. Charcoal production is the next most dependent livelihood of the dry semi-deciduous forest zone (DSFZ) after farming [4]. Farmers engage in charcoal production during the lean farming season to support income from farming activities.Recently, government and scientists are advocating the production and use of bamboo to reduce pressure on the major commercial timber species sourced as fuelwood. Due to development initiatives, such as the Bamboo and Rattan Development Programme (BARADEP), bamboo plantation establishment increased in Ghana. These bamboo monocropping systems, however, may impact adversely on food security if integrated systems with arable crops and/or livestock are not given due consideration. In Asia, the integration of bamboo within agricultural s...