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Understanding Why Farmers Plant Trees in the Homestead Agroforestry in Bangladesh

M. A. SALAM
Department of Statistics, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh

T. NOGUCHI
Department of Forest Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University, Minamiminowa, Nagano-ken 399-4598, Japan

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Because trees cover only 6.4% of the total land area of Bangladesh, while agricultural expansion continues to massively deplete the natural forests, a well-managed homestead forestry practice is vital for reversing the existing trend and promoting the ecological balance of the country. An understanding of the decision-making process of the farmers who practice homestead forestry is important in expanding and improving the practice. This paper seeks to characterize and analyze factors influencing farmers’ decisions about tree planting. Logistic and multiple regression analyses were applied to determine the factors that influence the farmers’ tree-planting decisions. The analyses demonstrate a number of important conclusions: (i) treeplanting increases with the amount of homestead land owned; (ii) farmers whose main source of income is non-agricultural are more likely to decide to plant trees in the homestead; (iii) purchasing cost of fuelwood has a positive influence on tree-planting decisions; (iv) number of male family member has a positive influence on farmers’ tree-planting decisions; and (v) knowledge of the activities of the forestry extension programs has a positive influence on tree-planting decisions. The results of the study demonstrate that, in recent years, farmers’ decisions of whether or not to plant trees have been based primarily on economic rather than ecological concerns. It is concluded that there is substantial potential for the improvement of homestead forestry, and that properly managed homestead forestry can alleviate the poverty of rural people by increasing overall household income. To this end, it is suggested that forestry extension workers work more closely with the local people in order to implement homestead forestry.

Keywords: Decision-making, Economic benefit, Homestead forestry, Tree-planting

Location: In Bangladesh

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End Date:

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Commodity: Agroforestry

Objectives:

Farmers’ willingness to grow trees depends on many factors, and if the government or non-government organizations intend to convince farmers to grow more trees, these factors must first be understood. This article seeks to investigate the reasons why farmers, under their current circumstances, are not planting more trees on their homestead – given the huge benefits in terms of fuelwood and timber. This article also seeks to characterize and analyze factors influencing farmers’ decisions about tree planting. It is argued that understanding the process by which farmers make tree planting decisions will broaden the general population’s perception and lead to an increase in the volume of timber grown on homesteads. The results of the study will provide an effective means for researchers and development professionals to build an economically viable and ecologically sustainable homestead agroforestry system that will improve the biological productivity and economic returns of privately owned land.

Methodology:

Studies in developing nations have highlighted a scarcity of fuelwood as one factor contributing to farmers’ willingness to plant trees (Dewees, 1992). In Bangladesh, fuelwood shortage is acute in the areas away from the forests. Based on this circumstance, we gathered data for this study from two distinct locations – remote from forests and proximate to forests. The data were gathered from personal interviews in four villages – two remote from forests and two proximate to forests. The villages were (1) Chandrimamatpara of the Rajbari district (remote), (2) Durgapur of Dhaka district (remote), (3) Gachabari of Tangail district (near Madhupur Sal Forest), and (4) Jalchara of Sylhet district (near Hill Forest). The survey was supported by limited private funds. Financial and temporal constraints inhibited randomized selection of units. Therefore, the study villages selected were purposively based on the criteria of our assumption. In this sampling, a sample of four villages was selected which was considered to be most representative of the population as a whole. If the sampler is experienced and an expert, this approach might lead to more valid and reliable estimates than the approach of using a random sample in many cases (Levy and Lemeshow, 1991). Moreover, agricultural activities and homestead forestry all over Bangladesh are relatively uniform (Leuschner and Khaleque, 1987). Thus, the results of the study can be reasonably extrapolated to apply to other regions of the country.

All households in the selected villages were interviewed using a pre-tested uniform questionnaire. In total, 206 households were interviewed via in-home visit. The heads-of-household were chosen as respondents based on the presumption that they had the widest access to data regarding their farms. If the head of the household was not present, another adult male from that household would be interviewed. When no adult male was present, a consecutive visit was scheduled until the interview was secured. The socio-cultural context of rural Bangladesh discourages strangers from talking to female household members. Thus, female respondents were excluded. However, at the time of the interview we requested that the wife of the male head of the household share her responses, and that the female family members contributed to responses from approximately one-third of the households.

Statistical analysis To quantify the factors influencing the farmers’ tree-planting decision, a two-stage regression approach was adopted. In the first stage, a discrete variable logit assessment of the choice to plant or not was carried out. In this case, a 100 percent sample was included in the model because it is a reasonable first choice for any farmer. The choice of farmers to plant trees or not can be framed as binary-choice models which assume that individuals are faced with a choice between two alternatives and the choice depends on identifiable characteristics. Let Ti represent a dichotomous variable that equals 1 if the farmer planted at least one tree in the homestead over the last year and 0 if no tree was planted. The probability of planting choice, Pr(Ti = 1), is cumulative density function F evaluated at Xiβ, where Xi is a vector of explanatory variables and β is a vector of unknown parameter (Johnston and Dinardo, 1997). This kind of cumulative density function can be modeled using logistic probability function.

Source of Information: Agroforestry Systems 50: 77–93, 2000

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Achievement/Findings:

The survey results lead us to conclude that homestead regions in Bangladesh function not only as a dwelling place but as a production system. Notably, we found that farmers, in recent years, have been motivated to plant trees for multiple purposes, not just for firewood or timber or fodder. But the majority of farmers prioritized the financial benefits of trees. A major finding of this emerging from the informal interviews with farmers is that economic factors are of primary importance in the decision of whether to plant trees or not. It appears, therefore, that making tree farming more remunerative is a necessary condition for increasing the amount of tree growing in these homesteads, i.e., to successfully compete with other activities. Forestry is an extensive alternative land use with the potential to offer an attractive balance between commercial viability and environmental enhancement (Bishop, 1992). In some developing countries, such as Nepal, rural people have changed economic and resource management strategies and off-farm income has begun to play a key role in individual household economy (Malla, 1997). Adoption of intensified agroforestry in Bangladesh would increase overall household income and the potential benefits of tree planting on the homestead could be 200% relative to that of arable crops (personal communications). Given the increased awareness of farmers regarding the potential economic benefits of tree planting, it should be possible to harness these positive attitudes to a strategy to alleviate the poverty of the rural people. To this end, forestry professionals should develop a sustainable management system appropriate to the local physical and cultural conditions, rooted in existing local practice and acceptable to local users, and for the advancement of multiple objectives recognized by the people.

It has been made clear that farmers’ awareness of forestry extension programs is slight, and the contribution of forestry workers to motivate farmers to grow trees has been negligible. To maximize the potential of homestead forestry, forestry professionals and extension workers should broaden their activities and work more closely with local farmers. They should disseminate technical information to tree growers, supply quality seedlings suitable for the area, provide effective institutional support, and arrange for efficient marketing facilities of the farm forest products so that poor farmers can come forward to enhance tree production and get proper returns from production. Results of regression analyses also support these notions. Since land available for tree growing is very limited in Bangladesh due to an increasing population, forestry extension workers should identify all tracts of land fit for tree planting and take effective measures toward reforestation. Results of statistical analysis covey the same information. Adoption of more systematic tree planting designs and careful species selection may reduce the difficulties of using homestead land for tree planting simultaneous to other uses.

Other important factors that have influenced farmers’ tree planting decisions supported by statistical analyses are purchasing cost of fuelwood and the number of male family members.

At present, an organizational model for the commercially oriented management of homestead forestation does not exist. As yet, the process of policy adaptation has not been responsive to the evolving focus on homestead forestry as a component of rural development. A policy formulated to identify any obstacles clearly and to implement solutions is bound to attain success.

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