Contribution of agroforestry to climate change mitigation and livelihoods in Western Kenya

dc.contributor.authorReppin, Saskia
dc.contributor.authorKuyah, Shem
dc.contributor.authorde Neergaard, Andreas
dc.contributor.authorOelofse, Myles
dc.contributor.authorRosenstock, Todd S.
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-31T23:34:38Z
dc.date.available2023-01-31T23:34:38Z
dc.date.issued2020
dc.description© The Author(s) This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . The Version of Scholarly Record of this Article is published in Agroforestry Systems, 2020, available online at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10457-019-00383-7 . Keywords: aboveground biomass; carbon stocks; on-farm trees; species diversity; trade-off; Africa; Kenya.
dc.description.abstractWe test the hypothesis that agroforestry improves livelihoods and mitigates climate change in smallholder farming systems simultaneously. Data were collected using household surveys and standard biomass assessment approaches using locally relevant allometric equations. Summary statistics and regression analyses reveal linkages between on-farm carbon stocks and farm- and household characteristics. With an average of 4.07 ± 0.68 Mg C ha−1 and Shannon diversity index of 3.06, farm carbon stocks were significantly associated with farm size (r = 0.453, p < 0.05), tree density (r = − 0.58, p = 0.05) and the average size of trees on farm (r = − 0.42, p = 0.05), but not by Shannon diversity index (r = 0.36, p = 0.080), species richness (r = − 0.044, p = 0.833) or the number of land use categories (r = − 0.192, p = 0.356). Timber was considered the most important use of on-farm trees before firewood and construction material. The results suggest that gaining self-sufficiency in firewood is the most important benefit with on-farm carbon accumulation. The focus on exotic species for timber production presents a considerable trade-off between livelihood options and environmental goals. Heterogeneity in local environmental conditions over very short distances, less than 12 km, significantly determine livelihood strategies and on-farm carbon stocks. These results ostensibly contradict that carbon storage in smallholder farms is determined by diversity of tree species, suggest that livelihood strategy can equally drive carbon storage and demonstrate the diversity of livelihood and environmental benefits derived from trees on farms.
dc.description.sponsorshipWe thank the farmers of Nyando for opening their farms and homes to our inquiries. This work was implemented as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)’s Standard Assessment of Mitigation Potential and Livelihoods in Smallholder Systems Project (SAMPLES), which is carried out with support from the CGIAR Trust Fund and through bilateral funding agreements. For details please visit http://ccafs.cgiar.org/donors. The views expressed in this document cannot be taken to reflect the official opinions of these organizations. Shem Kuyah acknowledges the support of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation through the International Climate Protection Fellowship. He also acknowledges his host Prof. E. Luedeling, and the enabling environment enjoyed at the Institute of Crop Sciences and Resource Conservation (INRES)—Horticultural Science.
dc.identifier.citationReppin, S., Kuyah, S., de Neergaard, A., Oelofse, M., & Rosenstock, T. S. (2020). Contribution of agroforestry to climate change mitigation and livelihoods in Western Kenya. Agroforestry Systems, 94, 203–220. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-019-00383-7
dc.identifier.otherhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-019-00383-7
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14096/230
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSpringer Nature
dc.titleContribution of agroforestry to climate change mitigation and livelihoods in Western Kenya
dc.typeArticle

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