Participation of smallholder farmers to on-farm tree planting and retention in Buyende Sub-County, Buyende district, Uganda

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.