Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Potential of Agroforestry to Enhance Livelihood Security in Africa

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Agroforestry for Degraded Landscapes

Abstract

Agroforestry systems dot agricultural landscapes in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where they provide food, fuelwood, fibre, fodder and other products that are used at home or sold for income. Agroforestry also provides ecosystem services that are important and critical for improved livelihoods. By combining trees and/or shrubs with crops and/or livestock, agroforestry diversifies both farm and nonfarm activities. This creates diverse livelihood strategies that help households to deal with recurrent shocks, such as droughts and lean periods, and can make livelihoods more sustainable over time. Based on the literature on agroforestry in SSA, we describe major tree-based systems that are widely practised in SSA and that have received much attention in terms of their contribution to sustainable livelihoods. We show that agroforestry systems are typically multifunctional, although the type of goods and services produced vary depending on the components of agroforestry and the way these are managed in the landscape. Broadly, agroforestry supports food production, health and nutrition, wood-based energy and income. We discuss the current state of knowledge, present case studies to provide the evidence base and highlight gaps in knowledge and barriers to harnessing agroforestry-based livelihoods.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adesina A (1999) Policy shifts and adoption of alley farming in west and Central Africa. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria

    Google Scholar 

  • Adesina AA, Mbila D, Nkamleu GB, Endamana D (2000) Econometric analysis of the determinants of adoption of alley farming by farmers in the forest zone of Southwest Cameroon. Agric Ecosyst Environ 80:255–265

    Google Scholar 

  • AGRA (2017) Africa agriculture status report: the business of smallholder agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Nairobi

    Google Scholar 

  • Ajayi OC, Akinnifesi FK, Sileshi G, Kanjipite W (2009) Labour inputs and financial profitability of conventional and agroforestry-based soil fertility management practices in Zambia. Agrekon 48:276–292

    Google Scholar 

  • Akinnifesi F, Kwesiga F, Mhango J et al (2004) Domesticating priority miombo indigenous fruit trees as a promising livelihood option for small-holder farmers in southern Africa. Acta Hortic 632:15–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Akinnifesi F, Kwesiga F, Mhango J et al (2006a) Towards the development of miombo fruit trees as commercial tree crops in southern Africa. For Trees Livelihoods 16:103–121

    Google Scholar 

  • Akinnifesi FK, Makumba W, Kwesiga FR (2006b) Sustainable maize production using gliricidia/maize intercropping in southern Malawi. Exp Agric 42:1–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Akinnifesi F, Ajayi O, Sileshi G et al (2007) Creating opportunities for domesticating and commercializing miombo indigenous fruit trees in southern Africa. In: Akinnifesi FK, Ajayi OC, Kwesiga F et al (eds) Indigenous fruit trees in the tropics: domestication, Utillization and commercialization. CAB International Publishing, Wallingford

    Google Scholar 

  • Akinnifesi FK, Ajayi OC, Sileshi G et al (2010a) Fertiliser trees for sustainable food security in the maize-based production systems of east and southern Africa. A review. Agron Sustain Dev 30:615–629

    Google Scholar 

  • Akinnifesi FK, Sileshi GW, Ajayi OC et al (2010b) Biodiversity of the urban homegardens of São Luís city, northeastern Brazil. Urban Ecosyst 13:129–146

    Google Scholar 

  • Alliance for a Green Revolution (2017) Africa agriculture status report: the business of smallholder agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. Alliance for a Green Revolution, Nairobi

    Google Scholar 

  • Angima S, Stott D, O’neill M et al (2002) Use of calliandra–Napier grass contour hedges to control erosion in Central Kenya. Agric Ecosyst Environ 91:15–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Asaah EK, Tchoundjeu Z, Leakey RR et al (2011) Trees, agroforestry and multifunctional agriculture in Cameroon. Int J Agric Sustain 9:110–119

    Google Scholar 

  • Avohou TH, Houehounha R, Glele-Kakai R, Assogbadjo AE, Sinsin B (2011) Firewood yield and profitability of a traditional Daniellia oliveri short-rotation coppice on fallow lands in Benin. Biomass Bioenergy 35(1):562–571

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayantunde AA, Blummel M, Grings E, Duncan AJ (2014) Price and quality of livestock feeds in suburban markets of West Africa’s Sahel: case study from Bamako, Mali. Rev D’elevage Med Veterinaire Pays Trop 67:13–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Aymeric R, Myint M, Westerberg V (2014) An economic valuation of sustainable land management through agroforestry in eastern Sudan. International Union for Conservation of Nature, Nairobi

    Google Scholar 

  • Barrett CB, Reardon T, Webb P (2001) Nonfarm income diversification and household livelihood strategies in rural Africa: concepts, dynamics, and policy implications. Food Policy 26:315–331

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayala J, Teklehaimanot Z, Ouedraogo S (2002) Millet production under pruned tree crowns in a parkland system in Burkina Faso. Agrofor Syst 54:203–214

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayala J, Balesdent J, Marol C et al (2006) Relative contribution of trees and crops to soil carbon content in a parkland system in Burkina Faso using variations in natural 13C abundance. Nutr Cycl Agroecosystems 76:193–201

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayala J, Van Noordwijk M, Lusiana B et al (2008) Separating the tree–soil–crop interactions in agroforestry parkland systems in Saponé (Burkina Faso) using WaNuLCAS. In: Toward agroforestry design. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 285–297

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayala J, Sileshi G, Coe R et al (2012) Cereal yield response to conservation agriculture practices in drylands of West Africa: a quantitative synthesis. J Arid Environ 78:13–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayala J, Ky-Dembele C, Kalinganire A et al (2014a) A review of pasture and fodder production and productivity for small ruminants in the Sahel. World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Nairobi

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayala J, Sanou J, Teklehaimanot Z et al (2014b) Parklands for buffering climate risk and sustaining agricultural production in the Sahel of West Africa. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 6:28–34

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayala J, Sanou J, Teklehaimanot Z et al (2015) Advances in knowledge of processes in soil–tree–crop interactions in parkland systems in the west African Sahel: a review. Agric Ecosyst Environ 205:25–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Bazié HR, Bayala J, Zombré G et al (2012) Separating competition-related factors limiting crop performance in an agroforestry parkland system in Burkina Faso. Agrofor Syst 84:377–388

    Google Scholar 

  • Binam JN, Place F, Kalinganire A et al (2015) Effects of farmer managed natural regeneration on livelihoods in semi-arid West Africa. Environ Econ Policy Stud 17:543–575

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishop-Sambrook C (2003) Labour saving technologies and practices for farming and household activities in eastern and southern Africa: labour constraints and the impact of HIV/AIDS on rural livelihoods in Bondo and Busia districts, western Kenya. FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Boffa J-M (1999) Agroforestry parklands in sub-Saharan Africa. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Boffa J-M (2015) Opportunities and challenges in the improvement of the shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) resource and its management. World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Nairobi

    Google Scholar 

  • Böhringer A, Leihner D (1996) A comparison of alley cropping and block planting systems in sub-humid Benin. Agrofor Syst 35:117–130

    Google Scholar 

  • Chakeredza S, Hove L, Akinnifesi FK et al (2007) Managing fodder trees as a solution to human–livestock food conflicts and their contribution to income generation for smallholder farmers in southern Africa. Nat Resour Forum 31:286–296

    Google Scholar 

  • Chambers R, Conway G (1991) Sustainable rural livelihoods: practical concepts for the 21st century. Institute of Development Studies, Brighton

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper P, Leakey RR, Rao M, Reynolds L (1996) Agroforestry and the mitigation of land degradation in the humid and sub-humid tropics of Africa. Exp Agric 32:235–290

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis B, Winters P, Carletto G et al (2010) A cross-country comparison of rural income generating activities. World Dev 38:48–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2009.01.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis B, Di Giuseppe S, Zezza A (2017) Are African households (not) leaving agriculture? Patterns of households’ income sources in rural sub-Saharan Africa. Food Policy 67:153–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2016.09.018

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dewees P, Place F, Scheer SJ, Buss C (2011) Investing in trees and landscape restoration in Africa: what, where, and how. World Bank, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimobe K, Tondoh JE, Weber JC et al (2018) Farmers’ preferred tree species and their potential carbon stocks in southern Burkina Faso: implications for biocarbon initiatives. PLoS One 13:e0199488

    Google Scholar 

  • Dossa EL, Diedhiou I, Khouma M et al (2012) Crop productivity and nutrient dynamics in a shrub (Guiera senegalensis)–based farming system of the Sahel. Agron J 104:1255–1264

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis F (1998) Household strategies and rural livelihood diversification. J Dev Stud 35:1–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis F (2000) The determinants of rural livelihood diversification in developing countries. J Agric Econ 51:289–302

    Google Scholar 

  • Fanzo J, Hunter D, Borelli T, Mattei F (2013) Diversifying food and diets: using agricultural biodiversity to improve nutrition and health. Routledge, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO (2019) Guide for designing, monitoring and evaluating land administration programs. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome. http://www.fao.org/in-action/herramienta-administracion-tierras/glossary/s/en/. Accessed 6 Mar 2019

  • FAO, IFAD, UNICEF et al (2018) The state of food security and nutrition in the world: building climate resilience for food security and nutrition. Food and agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Faye MD, Weber JC, Abasse TA et al (2011) Farmers’ preferences for tree functions and species in the west African Sahel. For Trees Livelihoods 20:113–136

    Google Scholar 

  • Frankenberger TR, McCaston MK (1998) The household livelihood security concept. Food Nutr Agric 22:30–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Franzel S (2004) Financial analysis of agroforestry practices. Fodder shrubs in Kenya, woodlots in Tanzania, and improved fallows in Zambia. In: Alavalapati JRR, Mercer ED (eds) Valuing agroforestry systems. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp 9–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Franzel S, Carsan S, Lukuyu B et al (2014) Fodder trees for improving livestock productivity and smallholder livelihoods in Africa. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 6:98–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Gachuiri AN, Carsan S, Karanja E et al (2017) Diversity and importance of local fodder tree and shrub resources in mixed farming systems of Central Kenya. For Trees Livelihoods 26:143–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Gebauer J, Adam YO, Sanchez AC et al (2016) Africa’s wooden elephant: the baobab tree (Adansonia digitata L.) in Sudan and Kenya: a review. Genet Resour Crop Evol 63:377–399

    Google Scholar 

  • Global Environment Fund (2013) Africa will import - not export - wood. Global Environment Facility (GEF), Wisconsin

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray E, Henninger N, Reij C et al (2016) Integrated landscape approaches for Africa’s drylands. The World Bank, Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Haggblade S, Hazell P, Reardon T (2010) The rural non-farm economy: prospects for growth and poverty reduction. World Dev 38:1429–1441

    Google Scholar 

  • Haglund E, Ndjeunga J, Snook L, Pasternak D (2011) Dry land tree management for improved household livelihoods: farmer managed natural regeneration in Niger. J Environ Manag 92:1696–1705

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamer A, Franzel S, Mounkoro B (2007) Using farmers’ criteria to assess profitability of fodder shrubs in the desert margins of West Africa. Land Degrad Dev 18:670–679

    Google Scholar 

  • Harmand J-M, Njiti CF, Bernhard-Reversat F, Puig H (2004) Aboveground and belowground biomass, productivity and nutrient accumulation in tree improved fallows in the dry tropics of Cameroon. For Ecol Manage 188(1–3):249–265

    Google Scholar 

  • Hickey GM, Pouliot M, Smith-Hall C et al (2016) Quantifying the economic contribution of wild food harvests to rural livelihoods: a global-comparative analysis. Food Policy 62:122–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2016.06.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ickowitz A, Powell B, Salim MA, Sunderland TC (2014) Dietary quality and tree cover in Africa. Glob Environ Change 24:287–294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.12.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iiyama M, Neufeldt H, Dobie P et al (2014) The potential of agroforestry in the provision of sustainable woodfuel in sub-Saharan Africa. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 6:138–147

    Google Scholar 

  • Jama B, Getahun A (1991) Fuelwood production from Leucaena leucocephala established in fodder crops at Mtwapa, Coast Province, Kenya. Agrofor Syst 16:119–128

    Google Scholar 

  • Jama B, Mutegi J, Njui A (2008) Potential of improved fallows to increase household and regional fuelwood supply: evidence from western Kenya. Agrofor Syst 73:155–166

    Google Scholar 

  • Jamnadass R, Dawson I, Franzel S et al (2011) Improving livelihoods and nutrition in sub-Saharan Africa through the promotion of indigenous and exotic fruit production in smallholders’ agroforestry systems: a review. Int For Rev 13:338–354

    Google Scholar 

  • Jamnadass R, Place F, Torquebiau E et al (2013) Agroforestry, food and nutritional security. World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Nairobi

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones M, Sinclair FL, Grime VL (1998) Effect of tree species and crown pruning on root length and soil water content in semi-arid agroforestry. Plant Soil 201:197–207

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kalinganire A, Weber J, Uwamariya A, Kone B (2007) Improving rural livelihoods through domestication of indigenous fruit trees in the parklands of the Sahel. In: Akinnifesi FK, Ajayi OC, Kwesiga FR et al (eds) Indigenous fruit trees in the tropics: domestication, utilization and commercialization. CABI, Wallingford, pp 186–203

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamanga B, Kanyama-Phiri G, Minae S (1999) Intercropping perennial legumes for green manure additions to maize in southern Malawi. Afr Crop Sci J 7:355–363

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamanga B, Waddington S, Robertson M, Giller K (2010) Risk analysis of maize-legume crop combinations with smallholder farmers varying in resource endowment in Central Malawi. Exp Agric 46:1–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Kang BT (1993) Alley cropping: past achievements and future directions. Agrofor Syst 23:141–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Kang B, Reynolds L, Atta-Krah A (1990) Alley farming. Adv Agron 43:315–359

    Google Scholar 

  • Kang BT, Adedigba Y, Osiname O, Akinifesi FK (1998) Alley farming: an annotated bibliography. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria

    Google Scholar 

  • Kang B, Caveness F, Tian G, Kolawole G (1999) Longterm alley cropping with four hedgerow species on an Alfisol in southwestern Nigeria–effect on crop performance, soil chemical properties and nematode population. Nutr Cycl Agroecosystems 54:145–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Kater LJM, Kante S, Budelman A (1992) Karité (Vitellaria paradoxa) and néré (Parkia biglobosa) associated with crops in South Mali. Agrofor Syst 18:89–105

    Google Scholar 

  • Kehlenbeck K, Asaah E, Jamnadass R (2013) Diversity of indigenous fruit trees and their contribution to nutrition and livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa: examples from Kenya and Cameroon. In: Fanzo J, Hunter D, Borelli T, Mattei F (eds) Diversifying food and diets: using agricultural biodiversity to improve nutrition and health. Bioversity International, London, pp 257–269

    Google Scholar 

  • Kho RM, Yacouba B, Yayé M et al (2001) Separating the effects of trees on crops: the case of Faidherbia albida and millet in Niger. Agrofor Syst 52:219–238

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimaro AA, Timmer VR, Mugasha AG et al (2007) Nutrient use efficiency and biomass production of tree species for rotational woodlot systems in semi-arid Morogoro, Tanzania. Agrofor Syst 71:175–184

    Google Scholar 

  • Kinama J, Stigter C, Ong C et al (2007) Contour hedgerows and grass strips in erosion and runoff control on sloping land in semi-arid Kenya. Arid Land Res Manag 21:1–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Kiplagat J, Wang R, Li T (2011) Renewable energy in Kenya: resource potential and status of exploitation. Renew Sust Energ Rev 15:2960–2973

    Google Scholar 

  • Kituyi E, Marufu L, Wandiga SO et al (2001) Biofuel availability and domestic use patterns in Kenya. Biomass Bioenergy 20:71–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar BM, Nair PR (2004) The enigma of tropical homegardens. Agrofor Syst 61:135–152

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar BM, Nair P (2006) Tropical homegardens: a time-tested example of sustainable agroforestry. Springer, Dordrecht

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuntashula E, Mafongoya P, Sileshi G, Lungu S (2004) Potential of biomass transfer technologies in sustaining vegetable production in the wetlands (dambos) of eastern Zambia. Exp Agric 40:37–51

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuntashula E, Sileshi G, Mafongoya P, Banda J (2006) Farmer participatory evaluation of the potential for organic vegetable production in the wetlands of Zambia. Outlook Agric 35:299–305

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuyah S, Öborn I, Jonsson M et al (2016) Trees in agricultural landscapes enhance provision of ecosystem services in sub-Saharan Africa. Int J Biodivers Sci Ecosyst Serv Manag 12:255–273

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuyah S, Öborn I, Jonsson M (2017) Regulating ecosystem services delivered in agroforestry systems. In: Agroforestry. Springer, Singapore, pp 797–815

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuyah S, Whitney C, Jonsson M, Sileshi G, Öborn I, Muthuri C, Luedeling E (2019) Can agroforestry enhance ecosystem services provision without reducing productivity? In: Dupraz C, Gosme M, Lawson G (eds) Book of abstracts, 4th world congress on agroforestry. Agroforestry: strengthening links between science, society and policy. CIRAD, INRA, World Agroforestry, Montpellier, p 323

    Google Scholar 

  • Kwesiga F, Coe R, (1994) The effect of short rotation Sesbania sesban planted fallows on maize yield. For Ecol Manage 64(2–3):199–208

    Google Scholar 

  • Lamers J, Michels K, Vandenbeldt R (1994) Trees and windbreaks in the Sahel: establishment, growth, nutritive, and calorific values. Agrofor Syst 26:171–184

    Google Scholar 

  • Leakey R, Akinnifesi F (2017) Towards a domestication strategy for indigenous fruit trees in the tropics. In: Leakey RR (ed) Multifunctional agriculture: achieving sustainable development in Africa. Elsevier, Academic Press, San Diego, pp 165–176

    Google Scholar 

  • Loison SA (2015) Rural livelihood diversification in sub-Saharan Africa: a literature review. J Dev Stud 51:1125–1138. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2015.1046445

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luedeling E, Neufeldt H (2012) Carbon sequestration potential of parkland agroforestry in the Sahel. Clim Chang 115:443–461

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lulandala LLL, Hall JB (1987) Fodder and wood production from Leucaena leucocephala intercropped with maize and beans at Mafiga, Morogoro, Tanzania. For Ecol Manage 21(1–2):109–117

    Google Scholar 

  • Mafongoya PL, Jiri O (2016) Nutrient dynamics in wetland organic vegetable production systems in eastern Zambia. Sustain Agric Res 5:78–85

    Google Scholar 

  • Makumba W, Phiri A (2008) Evaluation of Gliricidia sepium and Tephrosia candida leaves as a source of N for vegetable production in a biomass transfer. In: Annual report-soil and agricultural engineering commodity group, 2007/08. Presented during the DARS annual planning meeting held at Andrews holiday resort, Mangochi, 14–19th September 2008. Department of Agricultural Research Services Headquarters, pp 2–8

    Google Scholar 

  • Mbow C, Van Noordwijk M, Prabhu R, Simons T (2014) Knowledge gaps and research needs concerning agroforestry’s contribution to sustainable development goals in Africa. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 6:162–170

    Google Scholar 

  • Mekuria W, Veldkamp E, Haile M et al (2007) Effectiveness of exclosures to restore degraded soils as a result of overgrazing in Tigray, Ethiopia. J Arid Environ 69:270–284

    Google Scholar 

  • Mekuria W, Veldkamp E, Corre MD, Haile M (2011) Restoration of ecosystem carbon stocks following exclosure establishment in communal grazing lands in Tigray, Ethiopia. Soil Sci Soc Am J 75:246–256

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miller DC, Muñoz-Mora JC, Christiaensen L (2017) Prevalence, economic contribution, and determinants of trees on farms across sub-Saharan Africa. For Policy Econ 84:47–61

    Google Scholar 

  • Mithöfer D (2005) Economics of indigenous fruit tree crops in Zimbabwe. Department of Economics and Business Administration, University of Hannover, Hannover

    Google Scholar 

  • Mithöfer D, Waibel H, Akinnifesi FK (2006) The role of food from natural resources in reducing vulnerability to poverty: a case study from Zimbabwe. University of Hannover, Hannover

    Google Scholar 

  • Muchecheti F, Madakadze IC (2016) Yield and nitrogen recovery of rape (Brassica napus L.) in response to application of leguminous leaf litter and supplemental inorganic nitrogen. Exp Agric 52:518–536

    Google Scholar 

  • Musvoto C, Campbell B (1995) Mango trees as components of agroforestry sytsems in Mangwende, Zimbabwe. Agrofor Syst 32:247–260

    Google Scholar 

  • Mutegi JK, Mugendi DN, Verchot LV, Kung’u JB (2008) Combining napier grass with leguminous shrubs in contour hedgerows controls soil erosion without competing with crops. Agrofor Syst 74:37–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Myers RJK, Palm CA, Cuevas E et al (1994) The synchronization of nutrient mineralization and plant nutrient demand. In: Woomer PL, Swift MJ (eds) The biological management of tropical soils fertility. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, pp 81–116

    Google Scholar 

  • Nair PR (1993) An introduction to agroforestry. Springer Science & Business Media, Dordrecht

    Google Scholar 

  • Ndayambaje J, Mohren G (2011) Fuelwood demand and supply in Rwanda and the role of agroforestry. Agrofor Syst 83:303–320

    Google Scholar 

  • Niehof A, Price L (2001) Rural livelihood systems: conceptual framework. International Potato Center, WU-UPWARD, Wageningen

    Google Scholar 

  • Nyadzi G, Otsyina R, Banzi F et al (2003) Rotational woodlot technology in northwestern Tanzania: tree species and crop performance. Agrofor Syst 59:253–263

    Google Scholar 

  • Nyberg G, Knutsson P, Ostwald M et al (2015) Enclosures in west Pokot, Kenya: transforming land, livestock and livelihoods in drylands. Pastor Res Policy Pract 5:25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13570-015-0044-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oelbermann M, Voroney RP, Gordon AM (2004) Carbon sequestration in tropical and temperate agroforestry systems: a review with examples from Costa Rica and southern Canada. Agric Ecosyst Environ 104:359–377

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ofori DA, Gyau A, Dawson IK et al (2014) Developing more productive African agroforestry systems and improving food and nutritional security through tree domestication. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 6:123–127

    Google Scholar 

  • Orr A, Kambombo B, Roth C et al (2015) Adoption of integrated food-energy systems: improved cookstoves and pigeonpea in southern Malawi. Exp Agric 51:191–209

    Google Scholar 

  • Otsyina R, Minae S, Cooper P (1996) A never-ending story: rotational woodlots for soil conservation, wood and fodder. Agrofor Today 8:8–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Otsyina R, Kusekwa M, Mumba M (2001) Fodder trees—production and utilization in Tanzania. A paper presented at the international workshop on forage demand and adoption by smallholder livestock keepers held at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, June 18–20, p 19

    Google Scholar 

  • Panel M (2013) Sustainable intensification: a new paradigm for African agriculture. Agriculture for Impact, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Paterson R, Karanja G, Nyaata O et al (1998) A review of tree fodder production and utilization within smallholder agroforestry systems in Kenya. Agrofor Syst 41:181–199

    Google Scholar 

  • Phiri D, Franzel S, Mafongoya P et al (2004) Who is using the new technology? The association of wealth status and gender with the planting of improved tree fallows in Eastern Province, Zambia. Agric Syst 79:131–144

    Google Scholar 

  • Place F, Roothaert R, Maina L et al (2009) The impact of fodder trees on milk production and income among smallholder dairy farmers in East Africa and the role of research. World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Nairobi

    Google Scholar 

  • Place F, Garrity D, Mohan S, Agostini P (2016) Tree-based production Systems for Africa’s Drylands. The World Bank, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pouliot M, Bayala J, Ræbild A (2012) Testing the shade tolerance of selected crops under Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) Benth. In an agroforestry parkland in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Agrofor Syst 85:477–488

    Google Scholar 

  • Pumariño L, Sileshi GW, Gripenberg S et al (2015) Effects of agroforestry on pest, disease and weed control: a meta-analysis. Basic Appl Ecol 16:573–582

    Google Scholar 

  • Pye-Smith C (2013) The quiet revolution: how Niger’s farmers are re-greening the croplands of the Sahel. World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Nairobi

    Google Scholar 

  • Quinion A, Chirwa PW, Akinnifesi FK, Ajayi OC (2010) Do agroforestry technologies improve the livelihoods of the resource poor farmers? Evidence from Kasungu and Machinga districts of Malawi. Agrofor Syst 80:457–465

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramadhani T, Otsyina R, Franzel S (2002) Improving household incomes and reducing deforestation using rotational woodlots in Tabora district, Tanzania. Agric Ecosyst Environ 89:229–239

    Google Scholar 

  • Rao M, Nair P, Ong C (1998) Biophysical interactions in tropical agroforestry systems. Agrofor Syst 38:3–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Recha J, Kimeli P, Atakos V et al (2017) Stories of success: climate-smart villages in East Africa. CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), East Africa, Nairobi

    Google Scholar 

  • Reppin S, Kuyah S, de Neergaard A et al (2019) Contribution of agroforestry to climate change mitigation and livelihoods in Western Kenya. Agrofor Syst 94:203–220

    Google Scholar 

  • Rinaudo T (2012) Farmer managed natural regeneration: exceptional impact of a novel approach to reforestation in sub-Saharan Africa. Agric Options Poor- Handb Those Who Serve Them Educ Concerns Hunger Organ Echo Inc North Fort Myers

    Google Scholar 

  • Roupsard O, Ferhi A, Granier A et al (1999) Reverse phenology and dry-season water uptake by Faidherbia albida (Del.) A. Chev. In an agroforestry parkland of Sudanese West Africa. Funct Ecol 13:460–472

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruel MT, Minot N, Smith L (2005) Patterns and determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption in sub-Saharan Africa: a multicountry comparison. World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruhigwa BA, Gichuru MP, Spencer DSC, Swennen R (1994) Economic analysis of cut-and-carry, and alley cropping systems of mulch production for plantains in South-Eastern Nigeria. Agrofor Syst 26:131–138

    Google Scholar 

  • Santos MJ, Dekker SC, Daioglou V et al (2017) Modeling the effects of future growing demand for charcoal in the tropics. Front Environ Sci 5:28

    Google Scholar 

  • Shackleton C, Shackleton S (2004) The importance of non-timber forest products in rural livelihood security and as safety nets: a review of evidence from South Africa. South Afr J Sci 100:658–664

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharma N, Bohra B, Pragya N et al (2016) Bioenergy from agroforestry can lead to improved food security, climate change, soil quality, and rural development. Food Energy Secur 5:165–183

    Google Scholar 

  • Sidibé D, Sanou H, Bayala J, Teklehaimanot Z (2017) Yield and biomass production by African eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) intercropped with planted Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana) in Mali (West Africa). Agrofor Syst 91:1031–1042

    Google Scholar 

  • Sileshi GW (2016) The magnitude and spatial extent of influence of Faidherbia albida trees on soil properties and primary productivity in drylands. J Arid Environ 132:1–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Sileshi G, Schroth G, Rao MR, Girma H (2007) Weeds, diseases, insect pests and tri-trophic interactions in tropical agroforestry. In: Ecological basis of agroforestry. CRC, Boca Raton, pp 73–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Sileshi GW, Debusho LK, Akinnifesi FK (2012) Can integration of legume trees increase yield stability in rainfed maize cropping systems in southern Africa? Agron J 104:1392–1398

    Google Scholar 

  • Sileshi GW, Mafongoya PL, Akinnifesi FK et al (2014) Agroforestry: fertilizer trees. Encycl Agric Food Syst 1:222–234. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-52512-3.00022-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siriri D, Raussen T (2003) The agronomic and economic potential of tree fallows on scoured terrace benches in the humid highlands of southwestern Uganda. Agric Ecosyst Environ 95:359–369

    Google Scholar 

  • Sirrine D, Shennan C, Snapp S et al (2010) Improving recommendations resulting from on-farm research: agroforestry, risk, profitability and vulnerability in southern Malawi. Int J Agric Sustain 8:290–304

    Google Scholar 

  • Snapp S, Kerr RB, Smith A et al (2013) Modeling and participatory farmer-led approaches to food security in a changing world: a case study from Malawi. Sci Chang Planétaires Sécheresse 24:350–358

    Google Scholar 

  • Sumberg J (2002) The logic of fodder legumes in Africa. Food Policy 27:285–300

    Google Scholar 

  • Tabuti JR (2012) Important woody plant species, their management and conservation status in Balawoli sub-county, Uganda. Ethnobot Res Appl 10:269–286

    Google Scholar 

  • Teklehaimanot Z (2004) Exploiting the potential of indigenous agroforestry trees: Parkia biglobosa and Vitellaria paradoxa in sub-Saharan Africa. Agrofor Syst 61:207–220

    Google Scholar 

  • Timko J, Waeber P, Kozak R (2010) The socio-economic contribution of non-timber forest products to rural livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa: knowledge gaps and new directions. Int For Rev 12:284–294

    Google Scholar 

  • Tschirley D, Hichaambwa M, Mwiinga M (2009) Assessment of the tomato, onion, and rape supply chains serving Lusaka: insights for research and investment priorities. FSRP working paper 44

    Google Scholar 

  • UNEP (2015) The economics of land degradation in Africa: benefits of action outweigh the costs. ELD Initiative, Bonn

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations (2017) Household size and composition around the world 2017

    Google Scholar 

  • Wairore JN, Mureithi SM, Wasonga OV, Nyberg G (2016) Benefits derived from rehabilitating a degraded semi-arid rangeland in private enclosures in west Pokot County, Kenya. Land Degrad Dev 27:532–541

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitney CW, Tabuti JR, Hensel O et al (2017) Homegardens and the future of food and nutrition security in Southwest Uganda. Agric Syst 154:133–144

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitney CW, Luedeling E, Tabuti JR et al (2018) Crop diversity in homegardens of Southwest Uganda and its importance for rural livelihoods. Agric Hum Values 35:399–424

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2011) Wood-based biomass energy development for sub-Saharan Africa: issues and approaches. World Bank, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Nairobi, Kenya

    Shem Kuyah

  2. Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    G. W. Sileshi

  3. School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

    G. W. Sileshi

  4. Institute of Crop Sciences and Resource Conservation (INRES) - Horticultural Science, Bonn, Germany

    Eike Luedeling & F. K. Akinnifesi

  5. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy

    Cory W. Whitney

  6. World Agroforestry Centre, West and Centre Africa Regional Office, Sahel Node, BP, Bamako, Mali

    Jules Bayala

  7. Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

    E. Kuntashula

  8. University Ouaga I Pr Joseph Ki-Zerbo, UFR/SVT, Laboratory of Plant Biology and Ecology, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

    K. Dimobe

  9. University of Dédougou, Institute of Environmental Sciences and Rural Development (ISEDR), Dédougou, Burkina Faso

    K. Dimobe

  10. School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

    P. L. Mafongoya

Authors
  1. Shem Kuyah
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. G. W. Sileshi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Eike Luedeling
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. F. K. Akinnifesi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Cory W. Whitney
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jules Bayala
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. E. Kuntashula
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. K. Dimobe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. P. L. Mafongoya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resource Management Division, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, India, ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, India

    Jagdish Chander Dagar

  2. Department of Botany, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana, India

    Sharda Rani Gupta

  3. Department of Range and Forest Resources, Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN), Gaborone, Botswana

    Demel Teketay

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Kuyah, S. et al. (2020). Potential of Agroforestry to Enhance Livelihood Security in Africa. In: Dagar, J.C., Gupta, S.R., Teketay, D. (eds) Agroforestry for Degraded Landscapes. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4136-0_4

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation