Factors influencing scaling up of agroforestry-based spatial land-use integration for soil fertility management in Arsamma Watershed, Southwestern Ethiopian Highlands

Abstract

This study was set to examine factors influencing agroforestry upscaling, inter-plot natural fertilizer transfer and inter-plot income flow in Arsamma watershed. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to gather necessary information. Contingency table, chi-square, Phi and Cramer's V were used to analyze the data. Access to seedlings was the most important determinant of agroforestry upscaling; and farmers' production orientation, farm size and wealth status ranked, respectively, second, third and fourth. Inter-plot natural fertilizer transfer was primarily influenced by participation in agricultural extension. Wealth status and livestock size ranked, respectively, second and third in influencing inter-plot natural fertilizer transfer. The study indicated a geographic concept of spatial land-use integration for soil fertility management and key factors influencing agroforestry-based land-use integration. Agroforestry-centered diversified small-scale agricultural commercialization, tree-crop-livestock integration, agricultural extension services promotion and multi-purpose tree species supply are the way out to upscale agroforestry and agroforestry-based spatial land-use integration.

Keywords:

• agroforestry upscaling
• land-use integration
• soil fertility management

Acknowledgements

Our heartfelt gratitude goes to all the farmers, development agents and enumerators who participated in the study. We also highly benefited from the comments suggested by the reviewers of this paper. The authors would also like to thank Addis Ababa University for partially financing this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.