Abstract:
Integration of trees into land use practices which is commonly known as agroforestry system is an
old aged experience of smallholder farmers in Southwest Ethiopia. There is a tenet that treebased land use approach has socio-economic and environmental contributions. The objective of
this study was, therefore, to assess how the smallholder farmers appreciate agroforestry system
from the perspective of socio-economic and environmental contributions around Jimma town,
Southwest Ethiopia. A total of 199 households were calculated and proportionally distributed to
three selected sites (Mazora, Waro kolobo, and Merawa). Semi- structured and structured
questionnaires were employed to collect the data. Data were analyzed using descriptive and
econometric model. The result shows that tree-based agroforestry land use practice is an integral
part of smallholder farmers’ livelihoods in the study sites. Tree has socio-economic, cultural and
environmental benefits. An average household income from trees was estimated to be 2592 ETB,
4652 ETB and 1922 ETB in Mazora, Waro kolobo, and Merawa sites, respectively. Smallholder
farmers appreciate trees more importantly from the socio-economic point of views in home
garden; pasture land and woodlot, while highly appreciate from environmental point of views in
farmland and coffee farm across sites. More trees were recorded in home gardens across the
three sites. Generally, species preference was vary across the land uses and sites. Education
level, tree planting experience and land holding were positively and significantly influencing
income derived from tree products, while livestock possession and major livelihood activity were
negatively and significantly affecting income in the study sites. In general, tree-based
agroforestry land use practice is the most crucial for improving livelihoods of smallholder
households and environmental quality. Therefore, Tree-based agroforestry land use practice
should be encouraged in the study sites.
