Abstract
The taungya is a system whereby villagers and sometimes forest plantation workers are given the right to cultivate agricultural crops during the early stages of forest plantation establishment. Cultivation is often allowed to continue until trees shade crops due to canopy closure. This study aimed at analyzing the taungya system at the North Kilimanjaro Forest Plantation in Tanzania but was limited to an examination of costs and revenues resulting from the practice and also the impact the system has on tree survival and food crop yields. Results show that during the early stages of forest plantation establishment, intercropping of young trees with food crops is beneficial in terms of tree survival, food crop production, financial income to the peasant farmers and reduction of forest plantation establishment costs. Therefore the system is suitable and should be sustained.
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Chamshama, S.A.O., Monela, G.C., Sekiete, K.E.A. et al. Suitability of the taungya system at North Kilimanjaro Forest Plantation, Tanzania. Agroforest Syst 17, 1–11 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00122924
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00122924