O level Notes: Agricuture - Forestry

We will focus on agro-forestry. Agroforestry is the production of crops and or animals together with trees management on the same area. Agro- forestry have several components which are Agrisilviculture, Agrisilvopastoral, Aquaculture, Apiculture and Silvopastoral.

Agrisilviculture (crops + trees)

This is the growing of crops and trees on the same piece of land at the same time. The crop of choice should be tolerant to shading for example wheat can be grown in a field with fodder trees such as Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan).

Advantages of Agrisilviculture

• The farmer produce multiple products such as fruits, grains, fodder and forage needed for livestock.
• Reduce pressure of community forests for timber, firewood and fodder.
• Improve level of income of the farmer.

Agrosilvipastoral (crops + livestock + trees)

This is the growing of crops and trees together with keeping of livestock at the same time. For example, a farmer can grow Lucerne (hay) and acacia trees as well as keeping goats.

Advantages of Agrosilvipastoral

• Crops provide food for animals and the animals provide manure for the crops.
• Trees provide shade for the animals.
• Trees can conserve soil through binding it with the roots.
• Trees provide with timber.

Silvopastoral (trees + animals +pasture grass)

This is the practice of keeping livestock and growing pasture grass together with plantation trees on the same area. Pasture grasses that can be grown include Star grass, Rhodes grass or Napier grass.

Advantages of Silvopastoral

• Pasture grass provide feed for the animals.
• Trees provide shelter for livestock.
• Animals provide manure for grasses.
• Trees and grasses enhance soil protection.
• The farmer increase long term income due to the simultaneous production of trees and grazing animals.

Aquaculture

This is the production of aquatic animals like fish together with shrubs and trees on the same area. The area will be equipped with water ponds. Some of the trees will be in water thereby providing shed to the fish and reduce direct sunlight penetration that may cause increased evaporation.

Apiculture

Refers to the keeping of bees together with tree plantations on the same area. The beehive may be designed and hanged in trees or they may be positioned in spaces between the trees.

Importance of agro-forestry

• Animals may become the source of organic manure to the crops.
• There is maximum space utilization that will increase productivity of the area.
• Risk of soil erosion is kept at minimum due to presence of trees which provides much roots to bind the soil.
• The farmer can harvest crops and benefit within a short space of time before trees mature.
• Crop residues and succulent tree leaves and pruned material can be fed to animals thereby reducing the cost of buying feeds.
• There is biological control of pests, diseases and weeds since livestock will be feeding on grass.
• Trees can enhance the micro- climate of the area thereby promoting cool conditions due to transpiration effect.
• Water percolation is increased due to presence of tree which reduce runoff
• The risk of failure is spread over the projects.

Disadvantages of agro-forestry

• More expertise is required to manage a number of enterprises at one time.
• Extra costs incurred in controlling livestock in Agrosilvipastoral as they may destroy crops.
• Trees and water may be habitats to dangerous wildlife such as snakes and crocodiles.

Steps to establish agro-forestry

When a farmer intends to establish an agro-forestry plot, the following steps are to be followed;

1. Locate the suitable area by looking at the soil structure, water availability and accessibility.
2. Peg and demarcate the area according to purpose. E.g. roads, farm buildings area, etc.
3. Clear the unwanted material off the area.
4. Plough the area to loosen the soil. This will enable easy root penetration hence quick establishment of the trees and crops.
5. Planting of crops, trees or building structure for animals and other farm activities.

Here is what we have discussed on this topic

• Agro-forestry is the production of crops and or keeping livestock together with trees on the same area.
• Components of  agro-forestry  include Agrisilviculture, Agrosilvipastoral, Silvopastoral,Apiculture andAquaculture.
• Agrisilviculture involves crop husbandry together with tree plantation on the same area.
• Agrosilvipastoral is the growing of crops, keeping of livestock together with tree production on the same area.

• Silvopastoral refers to the growing of pastures, keeping of livestock and tree plantation on the same area.
• Apiculture is the keeping of bees together with plantation trees and shrubs production on the same area.
• Aquaculture involves the production of fish together with shrubs and trees on the same area.
• The importance of agro-forestry include the following;
• It promotes maximum utilization of land.
• Animals are a source of organic fertilizers to the crops in that same farm.
• Crop residues and tree leaves can be fed to animals.
• The risk of failure is spread over the enterprises.
• the disadvantages of agro-forestry include the following;
• More expertise is required to manage, crops, trees and animals at the same time.
• Extra cost is required for fencing to control livestock as they may damage crops.
• The steps to be followed when establishing agro-forestry are;

1. Locate the suitable area by looking at the soil structure, water availability and accessibility.
2. Peg and demarcate the area according to purpose. E.g. roads, farm buildings area, etc.
3. Clear the unwanted material off the area.
4. Plough the area to loosen the soil
5. Planting of crops, trees or building structure for animals and other farm activities.

 Definitions

• Pastures- are artificially introduced velds in an area which will be fed to animals when they are ready.
• Agro-forestry- is the practice of growing crops, keeping livestock together with tree plantations on the same piece of land simultaneously.