Woody Species Diversity and Management in Homegarden Agroforestry: The Case of Shashemene District, Ethiopia

Abstract

e study was conducted in Shashemene district, Ethiopia. Management-related data were collected using informal and formal surveys. Woody species diversity and related parameters were collected from 60 households. Woody species with ≥5 cm diameter at breast height (DBH) were measured and recorded and below 5 cm were counted and recorded in 10 m * 10 m and 1 m * 1 m plot, respectively. A total of 36 woody species were recorded, of which 58% were indigenous to the area. e overall mean number of woody species per plot was 3.13. Four woody species, namely, Cordia africana, Croton macrostachyus, Persea americana, and Catha edulis, showed highest importance value index. Farmers' preference ranks for selected woody species were recorded in order of Cordia africana, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Croton macrostachyus, and Cupressus lusitanica, respectively. e similarity in woody species composition between the study villages ranged from 0.46 to 0.60. To sustain the management of woody species, farmers implemented pruning, thinning, composting, weeding, digging, and watering activities in the area. Garden availability and market and road accessibility are the major determinants of woody species in homegarden agroforestry. e study revealed woody species diversity, management practices implemented, and factors affecting woody species diversity management in homegarden agroforestry. erefore, government should be worked on infrastructure, resource reallocation, and awareness creation in communities for the better improvement of species diversity and its sustainable management in homegarden agroforestry.

Diversity of woody species in traditional agroforestry practices in Wondo district, south-central Ethiopia

“…Due to the existence of agroforestry practices and the fragmentation of the land caused by a high population density, the Wondo District was purposefully selected [ 31 ]. The district is encompasses nine Kebele administrations, of which two Kebeles and three Villages from each Kebele were purposefully selected based on the existence of intensive agroforestry practices [ 6 , 32 ].…”

The Contribution of Traditional Agroforestry Systems and Challenges of Adoption by Smallholder Farmers in Ethiopia. A review

“…There are many agroforestry practice models in Ethiopia. Farmers incorporate trees in their farmlands as parkland (Agidie et al, 2013;Gebrewahid et al, 2018;Tadesse et al, 2019;Tadele et al, 2020;Manaye et al, 2021), boundary planting around home and farmlands (Asfaw et al, 2007;Legesse & Negash, 2021;Manaye et al, 2021), alley cropping as a hedge (Tafere & Nigussie, 2018), multi-story home garden (Betemariyam, Negash, & Worku, 2020;Jegora, Asfaw, & Anjulo, 2019;Linger, 2014), coffeebased agroforestry as shade (Negash & Starr 2015;, woodlot (Asfaw et al, 2007;Agidie et al, 2013) and enset (Ensete ventricosum) based with different fruit trees . Farmers get functions of soil fertility, fuel wood, construction materials, cash income, food, medicines, and life fences from agroforestry systems.…”

“…The proper management techniques are most probable to be responsible for the increase of tree species in different regions of the nation. The reason could be that more tree and shrub species need adequate area; therefore farmers with larger tracts of land are preferred for a variety of woody species (Jegora, Asfaw, & Anjulo, 2019).…”

“…Fifty-three per cent (53%) of the total number of woody species contributed to over 90% of the total abundance. According to research was done by Jegora et al (2019) in the Shashemene district of Ethiopia, Cordia africana was the most common tree species, found in 45%, followed by Croton macrostachyus, Persea americana, and Casimiroa edulis. Home gardens and parklands predominated in Assosa district of western Ethiopia, whereas alley cropping and on-farm border planting were less popular techniques (E. Tadesse et al 2019).…”

Effect of land-use practices on species diversity and selected soil property in Somodo Watershed South-Western Ethiopia

“…Several studies were conducted separately on species diversity of different agroforestry practices, the effect of trees on soil properties, and the effect of various land-uses on soil properties across diverse agro-ecologies of the country. For example, the effect of home garden agroforestry on species diversity [14,15] and the impact of land-use on soil chemical properties [16] were studied. However, the effect of different land-use practices on species diversity and selected soil properties is not yet studied in the watershed.…”