Linking Farmers’ Knowledge, Farming Strategies, and Consequent Cultivation Patterns into the Identification of Healthy Agroecosystem Characteristics at Local Scales

Abstract

In order to identify sustainable management solutions for small-scale farmer agroecosystems, a better understanding of these dynamic forest–farmland systems, existing farming and forestry strategies, and farmer perspectives is important. We examined the relationship between agricultural land use patterns and farmers’ practices and identified existing and potential characteristics of healthy agroecosystems at local scale in the context of village communities in Zanzibar, Tanzania. With in-depth household survey and participatory mapping, five distinct cropping patterns were identified and their relation to land cover elucidated. Consequences of the diverse local farming strategies to field level cultivation patterns are dynamic. However, long-term adaptation of the local farmers to prevailing edaphic site conditions and resource-poor circumstances create fragmented but fairly stable land use patterns at landscape level. By integrating local expert knowledge and realities with scientific knowledge, we identified sustainable agroecosystem characteristics and farming practices, which are knowledge-intensive, alternative and adaptable to local conditions. Some of these practices are already a part of the local farming strategies and some require training and higher level support to reach healthier agroecosystem and better food security. They also offer potential opportunities for forest conservation since their tree-based nature provide forest products to the communities.

KEYWORDS:

• agroecosystem health
• farmers’ knowledge
• participatory mapping
• sustainable farm management
• Zanzibar

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors wish to thank the community in Cheju, especially the community members participating in the study. The authors would also like to thank all the Finnish and Tanzanian members of the research project “Changing land use and forest management practices and multidimensional adaptation strategies in Zanzibar, Tanzania” (2010–2013) for their commitment and interest in the research, the Department of Forestry and Non-Renewable Natural Resources, and the Kizimbani Agricultural Research and Training Institute under the Government of Zanzibar for their support and the Department of Survey and Urban Planning in Zanzibar for allowing the use of spatial data.