Abstract
In Rwanda, trees on farms are widely recognized for increasing and diversifying farm productivity while releasing pressure on existing forests. However, the motivation of rural households to plant trees on farms is often unclear. This study evaluates rural households demographic and socio-economic characteristics, as well as their attitudes, that influence the presence of trees on farms. Data used in this study were collected from a survey of 480 households across three altitude regions of Rwanda. Binary logistic regression analysis using PASW Statistics was applied to determine relevant predictor variables for the presence of trees on farms. The results show regional variation in explaining the presence of trees on farms. When data from the three regions were analysed together, significant predictor variables comprise the gender of head of the household, the number of salaried members of the households, the amount of farm fuelwood, the number of meals per day, the geographical location of the households and the selling of tree products. The presence of different tree species on farms was driven by economic factors, of which availability of food, firewood, and poles, and total income were most common. The results of the study imply that policy measures that target food security and income diversification in rural areas may, at the same time, enhance tree planting. Moreover, it is concluded that rural development and extension in agriculture should be site specific, to account for biophysical conditions and specific rural household motivations to plant trees on farms.
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Notes
The Republic of Rwanda comprises four Provinces and the City of Kigali, divided into 30 districts, which are subdivided into 416 sectors, which are further subdivided into 2,148 cells. The cell is the smallest politico-administrative unit of the country and hence closest to the people.
Authors’ estimation based on 7 days per week and average household size of 6 members.
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Acknowledgments
This study is part of a PhD Programme of the first author at Wageningen University, the Netherlands, funded by Netherlands Organization for international cooperation in higher education (NUFFIC, grant nr. CF2906/2006 under the agreement between Rwanda Agricultural Research Institute (ISAR) and NUFFIC). We are grateful to ISAR for facilitation during this study. We thanks Jean Claude Bambe, Barnabé Bizeye, Thomas Gakwavu, Théoneste Hakizimana, Gilbert Ndizeye, Roger T. Mahamuri, Eustache Nkikabahizi, Epaphrodite Gakwerere Nkuba, Fréderic Ntakirutimana, Claudine Nyiraneza, Fiston Rugira, Innocent Ufitumurame, Providence Uwayezu and Marcellin Uwimpuhwe for their assistance in data collection, coding of interview responses and data entry. We are also grateful to the farmers who participated in the survey.
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Ndayambaje, J.D., Heijman, W.J.M. & Mohren, G.M.J. Household Determinants of Tree Planting on Farms in Rural Rwanda. Small-scale Forestry 11, 477–508 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11842-012-9196-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11842-012-9196-0