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Adaptation factors and futures of agroforestry systems in Nepal

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Abstract

Farmers in Nepal mid-hills have practiced agroforestry for generations as main source or supplement of timber, firewood and fodder from government forests. The nature and extent of agroforestry practice is being challenged by rapid social and economic change particularly in the recent rise of labour out-migration and remittance income. Understanding is required of the critical factors that influence farmers in the way they adapt agroforestry to their circumstances. This paper analyses the relationship of households’ livelihood resources and agroforestry practice to identify trajectories of agroforestry adaptation to improve livelihood outcomes. Using data from a survey of 668 households, it was found that landholding, livestock holding and geographic location of farmers are key drivers for agroforestry adaptation. A multinomial logistic regression model showed that in addition to these variables, household income, household-remittance situation (whether the household is receiving remittance or not) and caste influence adaptation of agroforestry practice. The analysis indicates that resource-poor households are more likely to adapt to terraced-based agroforestry while resource-rich households adapt to woodlot agroforestry. Appropriate agroforestry interventions are: (1) develop simple silvicultural regimes to improve the quality and productivity of naturally-regenerating timber on under-utilised land; (2) develop a suite of tree and groundcover species that can be readily integrated within existing terrace-riser agroforestry practices; (3) acknowledge the different livelihood capitals of resource-poor and resource-rich groups and promote terrace-riser and woodlot agroforestry systems respectively to these groups; and (4) develop high-value fodder production systems on terrace-riser agroforestry, and also for non-arable land. The analysis generates important insights for improving agroforestry policies and practices in Nepal and in many developing countries.

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Notes

  1. Bari—this land is rainfed and typically located on hillsides where ploughing by bullock is possible. When bari land is abandoned, it became kharbari.

  2. Khet is generally a piece of private land that is irrigated, often located on valleys and foot hills.

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Acknowledgement

This research was funded by Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) as project FST/2011/076 and the following organisations were involved in the design and implementation of the survey reported: The University of Adelaide (Australia), The University of New South Wales (Australia), World Agroforestry Centre (Indonesia), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Nepal, Forest Action Nepal, Nepal Agroforestry Foundation, SEARCH-Nepal, Institute of Forestry Pokhara-Tribhuvan University Nepal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide,Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA, Australia

    Edwin Cedamon & Ian Nuberg

  2. Nepal Agroforestry Foundation, Kowteswor, Kathmandu, Nepal

    Bishnu H. Pandit

  3. School of Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Krishna K. Shrestha

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  1. Edwin Cedamon
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  2. Ian Nuberg
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  4. Krishna K. Shrestha
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Correspondence to Edwin Cedamon.

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Cedamon, E., Nuberg, I., Pandit, B.H. et al. Adaptation factors and futures of agroforestry systems in Nepal. Agroforest Syst 92, 1437–1453 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-017-0090-9

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