8. SOME AGROFORESTRY PRACTICES IN KENYA                   

8.1 Introduction

So far this book has dealt largely with the role of trees in land use, farming systems and their agroforestry potential and the ways in which trees and crops interact. In this chapter, the way trees are arranged on the land where they grow is the main criterion for the identification of a number of different agroforestry practices. We shall discuss the following factors:

• Spatial arrangement

• Areas where each practice may be most relevant

• Establishment and spacing

• Management aspects

• Benefits and risks

• Examples of species.

It must be stressed that the recommendations made in this chapter are to be regarded as suggestions that will require further discussion with farmers during extension visits. Conditions vary from place to place and prescriptions must not be made without the full involvement and agreement of the farmers concerned. The content of this chapter should be regarded as a basis for consultations with farmers, not as providing hard and fast rules. The technical recommendations have deliberately been left imprecise; the local people must be partners in narrowing down the recommendations so that they become precise enough for application to a particular farm or area.

Another general recommendation is that farmers who want to plant more trees should be encouraged to do so gradually. Continuous planting of a few new trees every year for 5-10 years is a better option than planting a large number all at once. If many trees are planted at once, most of them will become mature at the same time and the management of the trees will require a lot of work in certain years and almost no work in others. A more even labour demand is achieved if trees are planted gradually.