| dc.description.abstract | Despite the various benefits that smallholder farmers derive from trees on-farm, it is not
understood why they do not engage in rapid tree retention and planting. Instead, tree cover
loss, remains increasing and more tree benefits (goods and services) are still they still needed
by such farmers. Understanding the willingness of smallholder farmers to participate planting
and retention of trees on-farm helps to identify their preferences thus reducing the rate of tree
cover loss thereby improving on-farm productivity. The objectives of this study were to: (1)
determine the most preferred tree species by smallholder farmers to retain and plant on-farms,
(2) examine the benefits derived from retention and planting of trees on-farms and (3) assess
the factors influencing the participation of smallholder farmers in retention and planting of
trees on-farm.
The study was conducted on 160 household head respondents who were randomly sampled at
village level from four (4) purposively selected parishes based on their participation to plant
and retain trees on-farms in Buyende sub-county, Buyende district. Data were collected
through conducting household interviews with the aid of a semi-structured questionnaire;
Photos were also taken camera to gather relevant evidence and then analyzed using SPSS
software version 23. About 43 and 39 tree species were most preferred for planting and
retention on-farms respectively by smallholder farmers e.g. Maesopsis eminii, Eucalyptus
grandis, Pinus caribaea, Albizia coriaria, Ficus natalensis with fruit trees of Mangifera
indica, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Citrus limon, Citrus sinensis, Persea americana and
Tamarindus indica for various reasons including timber production, firewood, fruits/food,
poles, charcoal, medicine and income among others. Smallholder farmers mostly preferred to
plant trees by intercropping (27%) and retain trees scattered on-farms (26%) due to land
shortages and derive benefits like firewood, food (fruits), timber, improve soil fertility and
shade among others. The study acknowledged drought, limited access to planting materials,
shortage of land, pests and diseases, limited capital and expensive seedlings among others as
major constraints hindering participation of smallholder farmers to plant and retain trees onfarms.
The study identified sex, education level, access to land and sources of income as main
factors influencing the participation of smallholder farmers to plant and retain trees on their
farmlands in Buyende sub-county, Buyende district. | en_US |
