Zebene Asfaw

• associate professor at Hawassa University

Home-garden agroforestry and its woody species component have great roles to play in the livelihood improvement and household income and supplementary food for smallholder farmers. However, there is limited quantitative empirical evidence on the contribution of multilayer fruit tree or Coffee based homegarden agroforestry practices. Therefore, this...

Agroforestry conserves biodiversity while providing various environmental and socioeconomic benefits, yet information on the link between plant diversity and environmental and socioeconomic factors is limited. This study examined how perennial plant species diversity and density related to socioeconomic and environmental variables under two selecte...

In many developing countries, fuelwood is the main energy source because it’s cheap for cooking, lighting, and heating. A review of 72 papers published after the year 2000 were used to examined fuelwood and other energy sources for cooking and lighting, and identified firewood and charcoal plant species in Ethiopia. The review thoroughly searched i...

In developing countries, households employ several livelihood strategies to earn income and meet their basic needs through homegarden agroforestry (HGAF) practices. The extent of HGAF benefits to household depends on farm and household characteristics. This study examined the effect of HGAF on household income and income diversification in southeas...

Smallholder farmers in the South Ari District of southern Ethiopia retain natural forest remnants of Terminalia brownii trees in their crop fields. However, little is known about their perceptions of its management in crop fields and its impacts on soil properties. Therefore, we investigated farmers’ perceptions and the impacts of scattered Termina...

Agroforestry systems help to mitigate climate change by storing carbon in biomass, soils and products. The potential of various homegarden agroforestry (HGAF) practices as a carbon sink in reference to HGAF and household characters has not been adequately studied. Therefore, this study empirically assessed the effects of HGAF practices, HGAF size,...

It is widely recognized that agroforestry (AF) provides smallholder farmers with an array of social, economic, and ecological benefits. This study was aimed to assess the socio-economic and environmental benefits, conduct an investment analysis, document tree management operations, and examine the factors influencing the adoption of AF practices in...

This study investigates the influence of agroforestry systems, management practices, and socio-physical factors on plant diversity and richness agroforestry systems of Gedeo in southern Ethiopia. It analyzed 286 sample plots (10 m × 10 m), collecting data on both woody and non-woody perennial species. Insights into management practices and socio-ph...

Introduction Traditionally, some smallholder farmers in the South Ari District of southern Ethiopia retain natural forest remnant trees on their crop fields, and they manage them through pruning and pollarding techniques. Among these, the umbrella tree (Terminalia brownii) is one of the most preferred and dominant species, with numerous multipurpos...

The research titled "Status of Native Fodder and Fruit Tree/Shrub Diversity and Their Management in Merhabete District, Ethiopia" explores the diversity, conservation, and management practices of native fodder and fruit tree/shrub species in the Merhabete District. The study examines different land-use types—such as remnant natural forests, home ga...

Homegarden avocado cultivation offers a viable option for smallholder farmers to diversify their sources of income and food. This study examined the contribution of avocado cultivars to household income diversification and food security in the Jewe and Upper Gana kebeles of Central Ethiopia. Data were collected from 164 households using a semi-stru...

Homegarden agroforestry conserves biodiversity in the agricultural landscape. Farmers manage traditional and improved homegarden agroforestry system to enhance their food security and income. However, socioeconomic factors and agroforestry systems may influence the species composition and diversity of homegarden agroforestry systems, and there is l...

Agroforestry practices (AFPs) play a critical role in enhancing income and reducing poverty. This study assessed the effect of AFPs on income and poverty status of farmers in Lay Armachiho (LA), Bahir Dar Zuria (BDR), and Banja districts of Northwestern Ethiopia. 387 households, and 63 key informants were interviewed. Data were analyzed using descr...

This study investigates the influence of different agroforestry systems, management practices, and socio-physical factors on plant diversity and richness in Gedeo indigenous agroforestry systems in southern Ethiopia. It analyzed 286 sample plots (10m x 10m), collecting data on both woody and non-woody perennial species. Insights into management pra...

Farmers in Ethiopia have been vulnerable to climate change in recent decades. In the face of this change, farmers have managed agroforestry systems to maintain their livelihoods. However, studies exploring the role of agroforestry in reducing household vulnerability are lacking in Northwestern Ethiopia. The objectives of the study were to (i) inves...

This study investigated the impact of three avocado cultivars on selected soil physicochemical properties in Central Ethiopia, to enhance the knowledge on the influence of avocado cultivars on soil physicochemical properties, and assist smallholders in cultivar selection in agroforestry. Trees planted in farmers´ fields 8 years earlier were revisit...

Agroforestry practices play a vital role in improving rural income and livelihoods, yet quantifying their contributions in Ethiopia remains limited. This study investigated the contribution of agroforestry practices to rural income and livelihoods, along with factors influencing income derived from these practices. A two-stage sampling method was e...

Several studies have recalled to narrow the gap of information on carbon (C) storage capacity and the extent of its relationship with socio-ecological factors in agroforestry (AF) land use systems. The aim of this study was to determine the C storage capacity of coffee-shade-tree based (CT-AF) and fruit-tree based (FT-AF) AF practices, and the effe...

In the northwestern highlands of Ethiopia, rapid land use land cover (LULC) change and small-scale forest expansion has taken place due to the engagement of small-holder farmers. This study was aimed to understand the trends, magnitudes, drivers of LULC changes, and small-scale forest expansion in three Woredas of the northwestern Ethiopian Highlan...

The article investigates the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity in the Sofi District of Harari Regional State, Ethiopia, with a focus on smallholder farmers practicing agroforestry and monoculture. The study aims to understand smallholders' perceptions of climate change, identify climate change indicators, analyze observed climat...

Complimentary agroforestry systems play an important role in agri-food systems, ecosystem security, sustainable natural resource management, mitigates climate change, world development sustainability, and improving farmers' financial conditions worldwide. While the empirical literature on land use and agroforestry systems in Northwestern Ethiopia a...

The effects of climate change have hit the agriculture sector in Africa hard. Making adjustments to adapt to the changing environment is critical for countries like Ethiopia, whose primary source of income is subsistence agriculture, which is heavily reliant on rainfall. As a result, establishing context-specific adaptation approaches is crucial fo...

Most studies undertaken on native fodder and fruit species have focused on planting preferences and socioeconomic importance. The focus has been less on diversity aspects. This study aimed to make a comparative investigation on the status of native fodder and fruit tree /shrub diversity and their management in three land types in Merhabete district...

Agroforestry has been recognized as an effective circa citum conservation strategy in Ethiopia. Despite progress in the recent past, there has been very little research characterizing the management strategies of farmers for agroforestry practices (AFP) and quantifying their contribution to biodiversity conservation. We (i) characterized the manage...

The majority of studies in agroforestry have primarily focused on boosting agricultural production, income generation, component interaction and less emphasized on the aspect of biodiversity. Several studies have called for more investigation to address the lack of understanding regarding the significance of agroforestry in conservation of plant bi...

Empirical evidence indicates that allelopathic chemicals produced by perennials plants result in a positive or negative change in the germination, growth, and behaviour of other plants growing in close association. This study aimed to investigate the allelopathic effects of Oldeania alpina leaf aqueous extract on germination and initial growth o...

The researcher conducted a review of 83 articles published between 2011 and 2021 to determine the nontimber forest products (NTFPs) income contribution and usage types based on spatial and temporal patterns. The study used a search, synthesis, appraisal, and analysis framework for review. The review included articles that only focused on the contri...

The study attempts to determine the economic value of irrigation water in Wondo Genet area by eliciting households' willingness to pay (WTP) using contingent valuation method (CVM) in the form of double bounded closed ended WTP questions with open ended follow up questions. Bivariate probit and probit models were applied to determine the mean and f...

Woody species are very important components of agroforestry as they play multiple roles in the system. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess woody species diversity within households' farms. Stratified random sampling was employed for the study, where households were stratified via wealth ranking. Accordingly, the farm plots of 54 household...

Although there is a wealth of indigenous knowledge on managing parkland woody species, understanding farmers' strategies on woody species diversity, preference, and purpose of keeping scattered trees with annual crops were insufficiently documented yet. This study was conducted to investigate woody species diversity, farmers' preferences, and the p...

Urban forests have an important role in biodiversity conservation, environmental improvement, and ecosystem services including climate change mitigation enhancement. The objectives of the current study were to: assess plant types and management strategies of the owners; woody species’ composition, structure, and diversity; and estimate aboveground...

This study aimed to investigate the allelopathic effects of Oldeania alpina leaves aqueous extract on germination and initial growth of barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) and wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) test crops in a laboratory experiment. To this end, different aqueous extract concentrations (0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%) were prepared and used to ir...

Despite the emerging and promising of on-farm trees to the biodiversity conservation, economic and ecological importance, there is still a dearth of empirical scientific information on how farmers manage trees to improve floristic diversity across Agroforestry land uses in semi-arid. Therefore, this research was aimed to (i) investigate and compare...

There is a limited effort in Ethiopia to study scientifically the ecological features of traditional coffee-based agroforestry systems. This study was initiated to determine the structure, composition, and carbon stock of woody species along an elevation gradient of a traditional coffee-based agroforestry system in Yirgacheffe district, southern Et...

Smallholder farmers in the northwestern Ethiopian Highlands are highly engaged in small-scale forest management. Participation in this activity can provide a key source of income for the farmers as well as wider benefits to the environment. To gain a better understanding of how spatial and socio-ecological factors determine farmers’ engagements in...

Conspicuous trees and other perennial plants in smallholders’ farms have been acknowledged for their biodiversity conservation values. Impacts of agroforestry practices, elevation gradients, wealth status on perennial plant composition, diversity, and structure were empirically assessed. Four agroforestry practices were considered, namely, disperse...

Conspicuous trees and other perennial plants in smallholders' farms have been acknowledged for their biodiversity conservation values. Impacts of agroforestry practices, elevation gradients, wealth status on perennial plant composition, diversity, and structure were empirically assessed. Four agroforestry practices were considered, namely, disperse...

Understanding plant species distribution patterns along environmental gradients is fundamental to managing ecosystems, particularly when habitats are fragmented due to intensive human land use pressure. The variation pattern of functional diversity of plant communities along the elevation gradient in the Dindin dry evergreen Afromontane forest was...

For forest ecosystem management to be effective, explicit understanding of the species diversity-environmental relationship along elevation gradient is crucial. This study aimed at identifying and describing plant communities and also documenting their species diversity. Evaluation of relationships between selected environmental variables and speci...

Background: The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function has increasingly been debated as the key ecological issues behind ecosystem service provision. Still, many experimental and theoritical based studies have reported inconsistent patterns of biodiversity and ecosystem function relationships, supporting either niche complementari...

The effects of Acacia nilotica on Sorghum bicolor and Eragrostis tef yield as well as selected soil properties were evaluated under traditional parkland agroforestry system in the lowlands of Kewot district, North Shewa Zone in order to contribute to understanding of this tree effects on selected soil properties, sorghum and teff yield. A total of...

The study was conducted in Shashemene district, Ethiopia. Management-related data were collected using informal and formal surveys. Woody species diversity and related parameters were collected from 60 households. Woody species with ≥5 cm diameter at breast height (DBH) were measured and recorded and below 5 cm were counted and recorded in 10 m ∗ 1...

(i) To assess the extent of LULCC and the relationship of NDVI with precipitation and temperature; (ii) To assess drivers of deforestation and implication for climate change adaptation; (iii) To assess the relevance of policy and institutions and the existing gaps in them concerning land use/cover change.

The rich biodiversity of Ethiopia has been under threat because of vast and continued deforestation and agricultural expansion into forest ecosystems. This study was conducted to determine impacts of agriculture on biodiversity using comparative study of woody species diversity in natural forest and crop field and also by comparing population struc...

Accurate information on land use and land cover change (LULCC) is critical for understanding the causes of change and for developing effective policies and strategies to slow and reverse land degradation. In Ethiopia, the speed and scale of LULCC has been accelerated in the last 3–4 decades of the 21st century. The objectives of this study were to...

Climate change and variability has been detected in Ethiopia. Smallholder and subsistence farmers, pastoralists and forest-dependent households are the most hit by climate-related hazards. They have to have perception of climate change in order to respond it through making coping and/or adaptation strategies. Local perceptions and coping strategies...

Although homegardens are most often suggested as the refuges for biodiversity in human-dominated landscapes, how the surrounding landscape and socioeconomic characteristics affect this diversity in the tropics has received little research attention. Hence, this study has examined how these factors affect woody species diversity in homegardens of no...

A study on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) spore abundance and species composition was undertaken along different tree-enset-coffee based agroforestry practices in Sidama administrative region of Southern Ethiopia. Soil samples were collected from 36 sampling points for each tree-enset-coffee combinations within the nine sampling sites. The soi...

In Sidama, agroforestry represents land-use systems with deliberate management of multipurpose trees and shrubs that grow in intimate association with annual and perennial agricultural crops and/or livestock. The interaction of microbiota with the trees, shrubs and crops may make the system fertile, productive and sustainable. One of the beneficial...

Shade coffee agroforestry systems have the potential to support biodiversity. Yet assets and limits of their contribution are insufficiently documented. A sound understanding of farmer strategies in the management of coffee tree biodiversity is also critical to landscape approaches for biodiversity conservation and livelihood improvement. The objec...

p>Soil organic carbon is the carbon associated with soil organic matter that is made up of decomposed plant and animal materials. This study was conducted in Dallo Mena district to estimate the amount of soil carbon stock stored in shade grown coffee (SC) and homegarden agroforestry practices (HG), and adjacent natural forest (NF) and annual crop f...

Natural resource depletion particularly forests is the major problem to be addressed in Assosa district. Hence, this study is intended to identify agroforestry types, species richness, use diversity and management of the woody species. Woody species inventory, key informant discussions and questionnaire survey were employed to assess the problem. T...

Homegarden agroforestry has believed to be complex multi-strata than other agroforestry system. The aim of this study was to assess species richness, characterize the vertical and horizontal structure of homegarden agroforestry in Jabithenan district, Northwestern Ethiopia. Two sites purposively and two villages randomly from each site were selecte...

The essence of watershed management with the involvement of different actors built its base in Ethiopia as the only option to conserve and protect watershed resources and enhance land productivity for betterment of life. However, the integration of different actors and institutional arrangement for sustained watershed management still remains weak;...

The essence of watershed management with the involvement of different actors built its base in Ethiopia as the only option to conserve and protect watershed resources and enhance land productivity for betterment of life. However, the integration of different actors and institutional arrangement for sustained watershed management still remains weak;...

Background: Ethiopia encompasses an extraordinary number of ecological zones and plant diversity. However, the diversity of plants is highly threatened due to lack of institutional capacity, population pressure, land degradation and deforestation. An adequate documentation of these plants also has not been conducted. The farmers in Ethiopia face se...

Homegardens are defined as a system of production of diverse plant species, which can be adjacent to household or slightly further away and is easily accessible. Wood production and management systems of Kaffa homegardens are poorly known. The study was conducted to assess the wood production and farmers' strategy of managing woody species in Gimbo...

This study attempts to estimate the production costs and benefits of Coffee-Enset-Based Agroforestry (CEBAF) and Parkland Agroforestry (PAF) practices as well as evaluating the economic performance of the two agroforestry practices of Yirgachefe woreda 1 of Ethiopia. Data were collected from 101 randomly selected households through structured inter...

This study attempts to estimate the production costs and benefits of Coffee-Enset-Based Agroforestry (CEBAF) and Parkland Agroforestry (PAF) practices as well as evaluating the economic performance of the two agroforestry practices of Yirgachefe woreda 1 of Ethiopia. Data were collected from 101 randomly selected households through structured inter...

This study attempts to estimate the production costs and benefits of Coffee-Enset-Based Agroforestry (CEBAF) and Parkland Agroforestry (PAF) practices as well as evaluating the economic performance of the two agroforestry practices of Yirgachefe woreda 1 of Ethiopia. Data were collected from 101 randomly selected households through structured inter...

This study attempts to estimate the production costs and benefits of Coffee-Enset-Based Agroforestry (CEBAF) and Parkland Agroforestry (PAF) practices as well as evaluating the economic performance of the two agroforestry practices of Yirgachefe woreda 1 of Ethiopia. Data were collected from 101 randomly selected households through structured inter...

Tree species in agroforestry are important source of inoculum for companion agricultural crops. Agroforestry trees can serve as a source of Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) inoculants to intercropped annuals. We studied spore abundance, root colonization of Albizia gummifera (J.F. Gmel.) and Croton macrostachyus (Hochst Ex Del.) trees and their effect on...

Ethiopia hosts one of the richest flora and fauna resources in tropical Africa. However, this rich bioresource is decreasing due to extensive deforestation. The objectives of this study were to (i) investigate woody species diversity on smallholder cultivated land (crop fields and homegardens) and its implication for biodiversity changes over time;...

Based on farmers’ knowledge and laboratory studies, the nutrient accumulation in the topsoil (0–20cm) under Cordia africana Lam (Cordia), Millettia ferruginea Hochst (Millettia) and Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnhardt (Red gum) managed under two agroforestry practices on different farms at three sites was evaluated. The number of these trees on indi...