Abstract:
Past afforestation programs launched to promote private and community woodlots
in rural Ethiopia have not been based on clear understanding of the incentives and
constraints of smallholder farmers. This study investigated the characteristic differences
between tree-growing and non-tree-growing farm households and identified factors
influencing farmers’ tree-growing decisions from a farming systems perspective in two
highland regions of the country. The analysis was based on a survey of 150 household
heads in each of the mixed cereal-livestock and the cereal-enset-coffee-livestock farming
systems of Basona Werena and Sodo Zuriya woredas, respectively. A logistic regression
model was employed to analyze the determinants of the farmers’ initial decisions of
growing trees. Using the tree-growing household data, a linear regression model was
employed to identify determinants of the extent of tree growing once the farmer has
decided to grow trees. Results indicated significant differences between tree-growing and
non-tree-growing households. Relative to non-tree-growing households, tree-growing
households were found to have higher human capital, more physical assets and income.
Our study identified that gender of the household head, farmers’ training, size and
productivity of landholding, household income, proximity to a road, and tenure security
were strong determinants of farmers’ tree-growing decisions. We found that femaleheaded
households were less likely to grow trees than male-headed households. Femaleheaded
households also owned fewer trees per household than male-headed households
and the difference was significant in the cereal-enset-coffee-livestock farming system of
Sodo Zuriya. The impact of landholding size was consistently positive on farmers’ initial
tree growing decisions as well as on the number of trees grown in both sites. A positive
perception of land tenure security was also positively and significantly associated with
the number of trees planted. The results suggest the need for appropriate policies and
extension programs that are aimed at addressing the specificity of female farmers,
improving the productivity and reducing the fragmentation of land, and strengthening the
security of tenure in order to encourage tree growing by smallholder farmers.
