Mutoko district is one of the districts in Mashonaland East Province where Forestry Commission programs are being implemented to a large extent. The Commission, together with various non-governmental organisations have been educating the community on Agro forestry. Agro forestry is aimed at increasing food security, income nutrition and thereby alleviating poverty.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Agro forestry is a deliberate management of trees with other crops on the same land area to gain benefits from the mutual interactions of the whole growing system. It can also be defined as the management of trees , crops and livestock on the same piece of land for both ecological and economic benefits.( L.Tapfumanei, 1999).<\/p>\n
Another school of thought defines agro forestry as an integrated approach of using the interactive benefits from combining trees and shrubs with crops and\/or livestock. It combines agricultural and forestry technologies to create more diverse, productive, profitable, healthy, and sustainable land-use systems<\/p>\n
The major agro forestry techniques used are; improved fallow, alley cropping, relay cropping, home gardens, trees in soil conservation and reclamation and live fences.<\/p>\n
Below is a table showing practice, description of arrangement of components and the tree species that can be used.<\/strong><\/p>\n Potential impacts of agro forestry can include:<\/strong><\/p>\n [vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/4″][vc_wp_custommenu nav_menu=”53″ el_class=”bgig”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”3\/4″][vc_column_text] Agro Forestry [\/vc_column_text][vc_separator style=”dotted”][vc_column_text] Mutoko district is one of the districts in Mashonaland East Province where Forestry Commission programs are being implemented to a large extent. The Commission, together with various non-governmental organisations have been educating the community on Agro forestry. Agro forestry is aimed at increasing food security, income nutrition and thereby alleviating poverty. Agro forestry is a deliberate management of trees with other crops on the same land area to gain benefits from the mutual interactions of the whole growing system. It can also be defined as the management of trees , crops and livestock on the same piece of land for both ecological and economic benefits.( L.Tapfumanei, 1999). Another school of thought defines agro forestry as an integrated approach of using the interactive benefits from combining trees and shrubs with crops and\/or livestock. It combines agricultural and forestry technologies to create more diverse, productive, profitable, healthy, and sustainable land-use systems The major agro forestry techniques used are; improved fallow, alley cropping, relay cropping, home gardens, trees in soil conservation and reclamation and live fences. Below is a table showing practice, description of arrangement of components and the tree species that can be used. Agro forestry Practice Description on arrangement of components Species used Improved Fallow Woody Species planted and left to grow during the fallow phase, this is much better than shifting cultivation Sesbania sesban Acacia angustissma Gliricidia sepium Leucaena species Alley cropping Woody species in hedges, agricultural species in alleys between hedges Acacia angustissma Ziziphus mauritiana Faidherbia albida Home Gardens Intimate multistory combination of various trees, tree components and crops around homesteads Mango trees Citrus species Moringa Ziziphus mauritiana Davialis caffra Jatropha carcus Trees in Soil Conservation and reclamation Trees on bunds, terraces for soil reclamation Ziziphus mauritiana Davialis caffra Jatropha… <\/p>\n\n\n
\n Agro forestry Practice
\n<\/strong><\/td>\nDescription on arrangement of components<\/strong><\/td>\n Species used<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Improved Fallow<\/td>\n Woody Species planted and left to grow during the fallow phase, this is much better than shifting cultivation<\/td>\n \n \n
\n Alley cropping<\/td>\n Woody species in hedges, agricultural species in alleys between hedges<\/td>\n \n \n
\n Home Gardens<\/td>\n Intimate multistory combination of various trees, tree components and crops around homesteads<\/td>\n \n \n
\n Trees in Soil Conservation and reclamation<\/td>\n Trees on bunds, terraces for soil reclamation<\/td>\n \n \n
\n Live fences<\/td>\n Trees around farmlands<\/td>\n \n \n
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