Socioeconomic Indicators of Bamboo Use for Agroforestry Development in the Dry Semi-Deciduous Forest Zone of Ghana

Abstract

Bamboo agroforestry is currently being promoted in Ghana as a viable land use option to reduce dependence on natural forest for wood fuels. To align the design and introduction of bamboo agroforestry to the needs of farmers, information on the determinants of bamboo acceptability and adoption is necessary. It is, therefore, the aim of this study to determine how socioeconomic factors, local farming practices and local knowledge on bamboo may influence its acceptability and adoption as a component of local farming systems. Data were collected from 200 farmers in the dry semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana using semi-structured questionnaire interviews. The results show that farmers' traditional knowledge on bamboo including its use for charcoal production and leaves for fodder are influential determinants of bamboo adoption. Among the demographic characteristics of farmers, age and gender are the most significant predictors. It is also evident that the regular practice of leaving trees on farmlands and type of cropping system may influence bamboo integration into traditional farming systems.

Keywords

adoption; land-use; deforestation; food security; renewable energy

Published in

Sustainability
2018, volume: 10, number: 7, article number: 2324
Publisher: MDPI

SLU Authors

• Appiah Mensah, Alex

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Global goals (SDG)

SDG2 Zero hunger
SDG7 Affordable and clean energy
SDG15 Life on land

UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072324

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/96465