Agroforestry and Farm Forestry in Africa

Abstract

Natural resources, particularly forests and soil, in African and other countries have been under enormous pressure by different users. This can mainly be attributed to the increase in population and subsequent intensification of land uses, i.e., the reduction of fallow periods in traditional farming systems, the allocation of extensive areas to production of cash crops such as cotton, coffee, tea, cocoa and others, the harvesting of valuable wood products for supplying domestic and external markets, the supply of fuel wood and building material, as well as extraction of various non-wood products. The conversion of the forests to agricultural land, other than harvesting for wood products, is considered to be one of the main causes of deforestation (Kerkhof 1990; Saket 1994). The information presented in Table 14.1 is of a general nature covering a period of thirty years. Soil productivity has been decreasing in low input farming systems because of extensive fanning and the consequent reduction of nutrients available to ensure sustainable crop yields. This implies that farmers have to cultivate larger areas to meet the food requirements and maintain the same level of living. Moreover, Table 14.1 shows that arable land per capita has also been decreasing in virtually all regions of Africa.