Referred PhD Seminar presentation
By Hadia Seid Ali
Agroforestry with fruit trees plays a crucial role in diversifying crops and supporting the livelihoods of rural farm communities among smallholder farmers. In Ethiopia, smallholders are growing avocado cultivars in their home gardens as part of mixed farming practices, while cultivating cereal crops on their farmlands, either as monocultures or in combination with native multi-purpose trees. But they are hesitant to integrate improved avocado cultivars into their farmlands due to concerns over the potential competition for soil nutrients and water between the avocado trees and the annual crops. Avocado cultivars naturally deposit leaf litter on the soil surface, which can enhance soil organic matter, structure, and water-holding capacity, hereby contributing to improved soil organic carbon levels. However, avocado cultivars also extract soil nutrients, which are subsequently removed from the field through fruit harvesting.
In my PhD research project I evaluated the underlying reasons for smallholder farmers’ resistance to integrating avocado cultivars into their farming systems, and she examined the effects of the most preferred avocado cultivars (Hass, Ettinger and Nabal) on soil properties in central Ethiopia.
This study employed household interviews and key informant interviews to evaluate farmer perceptions. Furthermore, soil samples were collected from three improved avocado trees and analyzed for their physical and chemical characteristics.
The findings revealed that participating farmers perceived that integrating avocado cultivars on their farms could be negative and positively influence intercropped annual crop in soil nutrient and moisture utilization. However, the soil study findings indicated that the three avocado cultivars had the potential to enhance soil properties, in particular Hass tending to increase soil nutrient concentrations and Nabal tending to increase soil organic carbon content. These results suggest that smallholder farmers can integrate these avocado cultivars into their farming systems to promote crop diversification without risking negative side effects on soil health.
Farmers’ perceptions of avocado cultivars integration and their awareness about the complementarity and competition effect of avocado had a profound influence on farmers’ decisions regarding avocado farm integration. To reshape farmers’ understanding, provision of targeted extension services is critically required. This study can help to bridge the existing knowledge gap regarding the influence of farmers’ attitudes and beliefs on the adoption of improved agroforestry technologies. The insights gained could then inform policymakers and agricultural experts in developing appropriate management approaches for the cultivation of fruit trees within smallholder farming systems.
