Status of agroforestry practices for soil conservation in Nama Subcounty, Mukono District

Abstract

Various agroforestry practices have been incorporated into the farming systems in Nama Sub County. This study assessed the status of agroforestry practices for soil conservation in Nama sub county Mukono District. The study examined and documented the agroforestry tree species, agricultural crops grown and livestock reared by farmers, assessed the agroforestry practices for soil conservation and challenges faced by the farmers practicing agroforestry. The specific objectives were (i) to determine the preferred tree species, (ii) assess the agroforestry components, (iii) assess agroforestry practices for soil conservation and (iv) the challenges faced by the farmers undertaking the soil conservation agroforestry practices. The study adopted descriptive research design involving qualitative and quantitative data. A sample size of 200 farmers was selected for the study. Data were collected by carrying out household interviews using questionnaires and analyzed in SPSS and Excel. Soil conservation involves maintaining soil fertility and controlling soil erosion. The study found that Mangifera indica was the commonly grown and preferred tree species by the respondents in the study area with 18.4% and 23% respectively. About 50% of the respondents maintain soil fertility by using organic manure from animals, 38% of the respondents use agroforestry as a way of maintaining soil fertility, 12% of the respondents use inorganic fertilizers. There are very many agroforestry practices in Nama Sub County but only few practices were used specifically for soil fertility maintenance. About 20% of the respondents were using improved fallows, 49% of the respondents used biomass transfer for soil conservation, and 29% of the respondents used alley cropping while 1% of the respondents used taungy. 58% of the respondents used agroforestry to control soil erosion, 6% of the respondents used planting grass to control soil erosion and 37% of the respondents used mulching to control soil erosion. Approximately 64% of the respondents of the were planting trees for erosion control, 11% of the respondents are practicing alley cropping for erosion control, 25% of the respondents are practicing agroforestry for erosion control. The study further revealed that the commonest challenges encountered when carrying out agroforestry among the respondents were pests and diseases and drought