Benefits and challenges of practicing agroforestry in rhino camp refugee settlement, Madi-Okollo District.

Abstract

Agroforestry is a valuable and sustainable land-use practice that integrates trees and shrubs into agricultural landscapes, enhancing environmental, social, and economic well-being. In refugee-hosting areas such as Rhino Camp Settlement area, agroforestry holds significant potential to address pressing challenges, particularly food insecurity, while promoting sustainable livelihoods for both refugees and host communities. This study aimed to elicit local knowledge on the benefits and challenges of practicing agroforestry by Refugees in Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement, Madi Okollo District so as to come up with proper recommendations for promoting agroforestry practice in the settlement areas. The specific objectives were 1) to assess the different categories of agroforestry adopted and their benefits in Rhino Camp settlement areas, 2) to describe the challenges faced by refugees, ways of minimizing the challenges and opportunities for increasing the adoption of agroforestry practice in the area, 3) to ascertain the socio-economic and demographic factors influencing the attitudes towards adopting agroforestry practice in the area. A descriptive research design was used in which sixty (60) households spread over two Zones were selected using snowball sampling techniques. Data were obtained through household interview, key informant interviews, photography and field visits. The collected data were checked, coded and entered into SPSS, analyzed and presented as tables and graph. Descriptive statistic such as frequency were run and hypothesis tested using chi-square. Of the major agroforestry being practiced in the area included boundary planting, home gardens, woodlot, silvopastoral and line planting. Agroforestry was also reported to significantly support livelihoods through income generation, food supply, provision of construction poles, shade, and firewood, while also contributing to household nutrition, energy security, and environmental sustainability. Reported challenges hindering the promotion of agroforestry in the area included limited land, animal destruction, scarcity of planting materials, and drought. The Refugees were overcoming these challenges by hiring land from the host communities, waiting for the favorable season to plant trees and using local seed for planting. Opportunities for increasing refugees’ participation in agroforestry ranged from the provision of planting materials, training programs, the emergence of NGO and an increase of government projects. Educational status and gender had significant (p-value=0.006 & p-value=0.039) influence on the willingness of the refugees to practice agroforestry. There is a need to mainstream agroforestry into humanitarian and development programs to reduce reliance on food aid and enhance self-reliance among refugees. Since the presence of NGOs, availability of planting materials, and training programs create favorable opportunities for promoting agroforestry, strengthening such interventions can accelerate the adoption of sustainable land management practices such as agroforestry in the area.