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On-farm trees are a safety net for the poorest households rather than a major contributor to food security in Rwanda

Author

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  • Alain Ndoli

    (Wageningen University
    International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)- Eastern and Southern Africa Region
    International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT)- Southern Africa Regional Office)

  • Athanase Mukuralinda

    (World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF))

  • Antonius G. T. Schut

    (Wageningen University)

  • Miyuki Iiyama

    (Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS))

  • Jean Damascene Ndayambaje

    (World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF))

  • Jeremias G. Mowo

    (Association for Landuse, Environmental care, Research and Technology transfer (ALERT))

  • Ken E. Giller

    (Wageningen University)

  • Frédéric Baudron

    (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT)- Southern Africa Regional Office)

Abstract

The world is challenged to meet the food demand of a growing population, especially in developing countries. Given the ambitious plans to scale up agroforestry in Africa, an improved understanding of the effect of agroforestry practices on the already challenged food security of rural households is crucial. The present study was undertaken to assess how on-farm trees impacted food security in addition to other household income sources in Rwanda. In each of the six agroecologies of Rwanda, a stratified sampling procedure was used where two administrative cells (4th formal administrative level) were selected in which households were randomly selected for interviews. A survey including 399 farmers was conducted and farmers were grouped in three types of agroforestry practice (i) low practitioners (LAP) represented by the first tertile, (ii) medium practitioners (MAP) represented by the second tertile and (iii) high practitioners (HAP) represented by the third tertile of households in terms of tree number. Asset values, household income sources, crop production, farm size, crop yield, and food security (food energy needs) were quantified among the types of agroforestry practice. A larger proportion of HAP households had access to adequate quantity and diversity of food when compared with MAP and LAP households. Food security probability was higher for households with more resources, including land, trees and livestock, coinciding with an increased crop and livestock income. We found no difference in asset endowment among types of agroforestry practices, while farmers in agroecologies with smaller farms (0.42 ha to 0.66 ha) had more on-farm trees (212 to 358 trees per household) than farms in agroecologies with larger farms (0.96 ha to 1.23 ha) which had 49 to 129 trees per household, probably due to differences in biophysical conditions. A positive association between tree density and food security was found in two out of six agroecologies. The proportion of income that came from tree products was high (> 20%) for a small fraction of farmers (12%), with the more food insecure households relying more on income from tree products than households with better food security status. Thus, tree income can be percieved as a “safety net” for the poorest households.

Suggested Citation

  • Alain Ndoli & Athanase Mukuralinda & Antonius G. T. Schut & Miyuki Iiyama & Jean Damascene Ndayambaje & Jeremias G. Mowo & Ken E. Giller & Frédéric Baudron, 2021. "On-farm trees are a safety net for the poorest households rather than a major contributor to food security in Rwanda," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(3), pages 685-699, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ssefpa:v:13:y:2021:i:3:d:10.1007_s12571-020-01138-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s12571-020-01138-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tadesse, Getaw & Abate, Gashaw T. & Zewdie, Tadiwos, 2020. "Biases in self-reported food insecurity measurement: A list experiment approach," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    2. Drechsel, Pay & Gyiele, Lucy & Kunze, Dagmar & Cofie, Olufunke, 2001. "Population density, soil nutrient depletion, and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 251-258, August.
    3. Miyuki Iiyama & Athanase Mukuralinda & Jean Damascene Ndayambaje & Bernard Musana & Alain Ndoli & Jeremias G. Mowo & Dennis Garrity & Stephen Ling & Vicky Ruganzu, 2018. "Tree-Based Ecosystem Approaches (TBEAs) as Multi-Functional Land Management Strategies—Evidence from Rwanda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-24, April.
    4. von Braun, Joachim, 2007. "The world food situation: New driving forces and required actions," Food policy reports 18, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
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    1. Beatrice Nöldeke & Etti Winter & Yves Laumonier & Trifosa Simamora, 2021. "Simulating Agroforestry Adoption in Rural Indonesia: The Potential of Trees on Farms for Livelihoods and Environment," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-31, April.

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