The Role of Bees and other pollinators in Increasing Horticultural Production

WHY THERE IS NEED TO ADOPT AGROFORESTRY PRACTICES IN UGANDA

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gro forestry is a land use practice involving deliberate  integration of woody perennials (Trees and shrubs) together with crops(annial and perennials crops)  and or animals (poultry, cattle, sheep, bees, fish, silk worms) on the same pieces of land in spatial of temporal arrangements for the benefits of man and his environment.

It’s among the successful land use system that diversify and intensifies trees, crops and animals in a sustainable manner, as an old age practice, there is a lot to learn from the success traditional Agro forestry practices of the chagga and konso and java home gardens distributed in the world

The Agro forestry research is being spearheaded by the world agro forestry centre (WAC) formally called International Centre for Research in Agro forestry (ICRAF) with its headquarters located in Nairobi- Kenya and in Uganda its found t NAFFORI in Mukono

Since 1997, the MAAIF has been carrying the Plan for Modernization of Agriculture,  the vision of PMA is being achieved through transferring subsistence farming into commercial agriculture. During the preparation of PMA, Agro forestry was recognized as an important farming technology for small holder subsistence farmers to improve the productivity and ensure sustainability of the resource base

Agro forestry has proven impacts on the people practicing it as it has reduced poverty in most homes through increasing production of Agro forestry out puts, it has also contributed to food security by restoring g farm soil fertility and a lot of products are being produced e.g. all fruit trees, food crops, trees, fodder, animal products, , it has also rejected deforestation as it involved on farm trees, providing fuel wood, for the people to use and also timber trees , it ha s also increased diversity of on farm tree crop

Major Agro forestry practices being practiced in Uganda include

Agri silvicuture systems  involving trees , and agricultural crops being put on the same land for example  the practice of Alley farming (crops growing in-between lines of fertilizer trees trimmed and root pruned) improved fallow , (leaving the a land to rest while allowing woody perennial like Sena specatbilis and tick berry y to be growing to retain fertility), Tuagya farming (growing crops in between line of young trees before they reach the 3 years ) and also shifting cultivation.

There is also silvo pastoral system which include managing trees with pasture for example Caliandra together with trees , trees in range lands fodder banks, trees scattered on pasture  land , apiculture (trees with bees), sericulture , fencing using live fence etc

The other system is Agro-silvo pastoral system which includes managing trees crop and animals together on same piece of and the practice include home gardens, hedge row intercropping, with fodder, fodder trees scattered on crop land

Most Agro forestry components

Trees, crops, and animals

The most agro forestry Trees include those which are multipurpose like sesbania sesbani, Caliandra calothyrus, Gliricidia sepium, Termarinda indicas(Mukooge), Bauhinia variegata, Senna spectabilis Erythrina abyssinica, luceana leucocephala, Citrus sinensis soursaop (kitaferi ), spathodia companulata Jaclkfruits(Autocarpus heterophylus), Albizia zigia(murongo), coraria, Acacia species, Makarmia lutea (Musambya), Neem  Tree (Azadirachta indica)Mangifera indica (mangoes), Persea amaricana (a avocado), psidium guajava, Moringa oleifera Anarcadia occidentale(cashew nut), Terminalia veluntina(Mukara) ,Cedrela odorata , Maesopsis emnii(m), Tectonia grandis ,Ficus natalensis among many . The other component include all animals, and all perennial and annial crops,

Common interaction between these components

Tree-Crop interaction/Interface (TCI)

Trees proving shade for shade loving crops to reduce heat stress e.g. coffee,

Tree liter decomposition to form organic matter releasing nutrient for crops

Trees acting as supports for plants with weak stems facilitating climbing e.g. passion fruits, climbing beans

Leguminous trees, like Caliandra calothyrus, Luceana leucocephala, fixing atmospheric nitrogen for the benefit of crops

Deep rooted trees absorbing nutrients to the upper layer where plat roots can reach for absorption

Tree roots binding soils particles together for structure stabilization, crops plant acting as cover crops, to reduce rain drop erosion

Trees plated linear arrangements acting as wind breakers on farm land 

Trees canopy and crops out compete weed by intercepting sunlight to reach weeds,  trees litter and crops residue acting as mulches controlling the emergence of weed

Trees biomass preventing the soil from direct heat thus maintain good moisture

(Young (1989 Carlowitz et al, 1984)

At Tree -Animal interface/ (TAI ) Interaction

Provision of shade by trees to animals that in turn reduce heat stress

Fodder trees providing anaimsl with feeds rich in proteins for health

Anaimals depositing their wastes near the tree roots which decompose and form organic matter that release nutrients for the benefits tree species, trees providing shelter foe animals such as birds

Anaimals through browsing and grazing reducing the effects of weed species on tree growth

Some trees and shrubs with medicinal value helping to combat certain animal disease e.g. Neem trees and sisal plants to cure coccidiosis in chickens

Trees planted along fencing lines acting as live fence that restrain animal movement thereby preventing the effect of animal parasites

Trees litter up on decomposition provide nutrients for the proper growth of animals pasture

Pest and disease affecting Agro-forestry components 

For trees components  pests include, mites causing gall formation, nematodes causing root knots, bacteria causing leaf spot disease,  and cankers in trees, parasitic plat pests , aphids, grass hopers, caterpillars, psylids, moth , crickets cut worms causing serious damages, beetle , termites among many all can be controlled using appropriate insecticide e.g. Dimethoate E-40, Dieldrin, Ambush,  victory, Dudu cypermecrin, Rocket,

The common agro forestry disease also include,

Cankers, gall forming, mildew, die back, shoot boring, stem boring, root collar and rots, Wilts, shoot blight ,

Control is by appropriate chemicals and well chosen agro forestry tree or crop species alongside proper management practices, e.g. coppicing, pollarding, root pruning, lopping, thinning , weeding, fire line establishments,

Limitation of Agro-forestry or problems associated with Agro-forestry

Integrating all these enterprise on the same land use area will require a lot of land, this is a limiting factor since all land which has been fragmented country wide due to the increased population

The problem of allelopathy involving the limitation of growth by one plant by the chemical toxins that are released into the soil by the neighboring plants, the common agro forestry trees species that are reported to have allelopathy effects include

 Alnus nepalensis on Glycine max (soybeans), Casuarina equisetifolia on cowpeas and sorghum, Eucalyptus terectonis on cowpeas and sun flower and maize, Grevilea Robusta on Grevilea seedlings, luceana Leucocephala on rice and maize, cow peas and sunflower

The other problems include some trees and shrubs are alternate host of certain pests and disease causing attack on crops, most bacterial and fungal disease do increase in shaded and humid environment provided by tree canopy in Agro-forestry systems

Competition for light, nutrients, water among others, in most cases the lower storeyed components are out competed by upper storey

Animals browsing on young trees do affect their growth when they are include d in the system, also the chicken in Agro forestry home gardens do peck the growing  or germinating seedlings  leading to losses, also animals do eat the bark of trees e.g. the Ficus natalensis thus affecting their transport system in

More so trees posing thorns cause injuries on browsing animals and the human component, others are very toxic to plants and animals

In summary Agro forestry has played a great role in the human livelihood improvement, though people can’t recognize them because some practice without knowing that they are doing it

BY

WANDERA ALEXANDER,

Agro-forestry techncraft 

alexanderwander14@gmail.com

AFRICAN FOOD SECURITY AND CLIMATE ARMY 

FIKA AFRIKA ADVOCACY FOUNDATION, (Creating Solutions for Africa)

+256773545347/+256704952509