Characterization of agroforestry systems and their effectiveness in soil fertility enhancement in the south-west region of Cameroon

Abstract

Crop productivity depends almost entirely on the fertility of the soil. This in turn influences food security at the household level. Thus, for crop productivity to be high and ensure food security, the level of soil fertility needs to increase. However, poor agricultural practices and other phenomena such as soil erosion have led to soil infertility across Cameroon. This necessitates that more sustainable agricultural practices should be identified and vulgarized. In this light, this study was initiated to evaluate the role of different agroforestry systems (a sustainable agricultural practice), in enhancing soil fertility in order to propose an appropriate practice to farmers as a sustainable option for soil fertility improvement. The study was carried out in Mbelenka, south west region of Cameroon. Data was collected through household surveys, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and direct field observations. Findings revealed that, three main agroforestry systems (agrosilvopastoral, silvopastoral, and agrisilvicultural systems) were dominant characterized by several practices, components, and functions. Most farmers (52%) perceived the soils to be less fertile, and the agrosilvopastoral system was perceived by most farmers (57%) to be characterized by the highest level of soil fertility. Most farmers (53%) equally perceived that, the agrosilvopastoral system was the most effective in enhancing soil fertility. Correlation and regression analysis showed the existence of a statistically significant (p < 0.01) direct non-cause effect and a direct cause-effect relationship between soil fertility and the practice of agrosilvopastoral and agrisilvicultural agroforestry systems. This implies that, the practice of these two systems contributes towards improving soil fertility. Based on these findings, it is recommended that, farmers should practice agroforestry systems especially the agrosilvopastoral and agrisilvicultural systems, for they have huge potentials to enhance soil fertility, thereby improving crop productivity and food security.