Woody Plants Diversity and Possession,and Their Future Prospects in Small-Scale Tree and Shrub Growing in Agricultural Landscapes in Central Highlands of Ethiopia |
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| Authors: | Lalisa Alemayehu Duguma Herbert Hager |
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| Institution: | (1) Institute of Forest Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Peter Jordan Strasse 82, 1190 Vienna, Austria |
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| Abstract: | Woody plants diversity and possession in small-scale tree and shrub growing practices among farmers of central highland Ethiopia
were assessed by using a complete census of the trees and shrubs existing on farmers’ lands. The future prospects of diversity
and possession of woody plants in the agricultural landscapes were also investigated by using the farmers’ species preferences
and seedling demands as indicators. Comparisons were made across wealth classes, proximity clusters to a nearby state forest
and land uses. It was found that 27 tree and 21 shrub species exist on lands of the studied households. With increasing wealth
status of the households, the tree and shrub species richnesses increased. Tree and shrub species richnesses were highest
in boundary plantings and homesteads respectively. Small-scale woodlots had the highest number of tree stems while homesteads
contained the highest number of shrub stems. The number of tree stems a household possesses is strongly influenced by distance
from the state forest, family size, educational level of the household head and number of iron-roofed houses owned. And, the
shrub stems possession is significantly influenced by wealth status, distance from the state forest, land holding size, family
size, livestock holding, age of wife and possession of off-farm income sources. The species preference analysis and seedling
demand computations indicated that the woody species diversity is less likely to change in the future because there is no
difference between the currently existing species and the preferred ones. Nonetheless, the number of tree and shrub stems
on the farmers’ holdings could increase if the seedling demands of the preferred woody species are met. |
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