Review on the Role of Parkland Agro Forestry in Agricultural Landscapes of West Africa and Lessons Draw for East Africa

Abstract

Parkland agroforestry practice can provide different environmental services, especially for biodiversity conservation. This practice gets big attention with agroforestry and conservation scientists. The main purpose of this paper was to explore what are the main ecosystems services and livelihood strategy of parkland agroforestry provide to farming communities in West Africa region and the main challenges faced in conservation and management of the diversity of these trees in agricultural landscapes. What are the best practices and concerns towards parkland agroforestry in West African countries have and what lessons can be drawn to their counterparts in East African farming communities.The contributions and challenges of parkland agroforestry practices were described by different scholars. In West Africa`s region parklands as anthropogenic landscapes with a rational land use system developed by farmers over many generations and farmers select and protect tree species to diversify production for subsistence and income as well as to minimize environmental risks related to climatic variability. The contribution to the conservation of biodiversity through in situ conservation of tree species on farm, reduction of pressure on remnant forests, and the provision of suitable habitat for a number of plants and animal species on farmlands. Besides, planted trees and shrubs contribute significantly to farmers’ livelihoods by supplying food, fodder, wood and medicine. The main challenges are poor survival rate of seedlings due to moisture stress and browsing, careless field clearing and weeding, and the presence of seedlings seemed to be determined mainly by moisture availability and seed availability. In conclusion parkland in West Africa covers wide part of the agricultural landscapes providing enormous services and products to the farming communities of the region. Then the best practices accumulated in West Africa have to be transfered to East Africa through linking the agroforestry expertes and the farmers of the two regions.

Keywords: Biodiversity Consrvation, Ecosystem Service and Antropogenic landscapes

DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/9-13-05

Publication date:July 31^st 2019