Ensuring Smallholder Farmers’ Food Security through Homegarden Agroforestry System in Ethiopia

Abstract

Homegarden is one form of traditional agroforestry systems and involving deliberate management of multipurpose trees and shrubs in close association with annual and perennial agricultural crops and livestock within the compounds of individual houses managed by family labor. The presence of trees in the homegarden agroforestry system gives multiple services of timber, firewood, food and fodder and improving ecosystems and nutrient cycle through litter fall and decomposition. Homegardens are characterized by high species diversity and usually 3-4 vertical canopy strata tree layers; upper story, herbaceous layer near the ground and intermediate layers in between with the main purpose of subsistence production and sale for cash income. The main objective of this paper is to highlight the multiple role of homegarden agroforestry system for ensuring and improving food security of smallholder farmers’ in Ethiopia. The reason for homegarden agroforestry system includes; potential for climate change adaptation and mitigation, more diversity of species and their multifunctional roles, utilization efficiency, productivity and social value. Homegardens practice serves critical functions in fulfilling community and household needs ranging from food provision and food security to supplementing the family nutritional status, ensuring primary healthcare, income generation and other utility functions. It plays an important role in the food security by supplying of varied products throughout the seasons. Identify appropriate intervention strategies for the introduction and expansion of the homegarden to other crop producing areas; improving the production, processing, handling, and marketing of products from homegarden agroforestry systems, improving nutrition and health of households through fruit tree based homegarden agroforestry systems in the cereal dominated production system will need further consideration and integration of homegarden agroforestry systems.

Keywords:Agroforestry, Homegarden, Role of homegarden

DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/14-7-03

Publication date:May 31^st 2023