Farmers' assessment of the social and ecological values of land uses in central highland Ethiopia |
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Authors: | Duguma Lalisa Alemayehu Hager Herbert |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Institute of Forest Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Vienna, Peter Jordan-Strasse 82, 1190 Vienna, Austria |
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Abstract: | Often in land use evaluations, especially those in developing countries, only the financial aspect receives serious attention,
while the social and ecological values are overlooked. This study compared the social and ecological values of four land use
types (small-scale woodlot SSW], boundary tree and shrub planting BTP], homestead tree and shrub growing HTG] and cereal
farming CF]) by a criteria-based scoring approach using a bao game. The impacts of local wealth status and proximity to a forest on the value the community renders to the land use types
were also assessed. The value comparison, assessed by relative scoring, was accompanied by farmer’s explanations to reveal
the existing local knowledge about land use values. It was found that HTG ≥ SSW > BTP > CF for both social and ecological
values. Though this trend applies for the medium and rich households, the poor ones chose SSW as the most valuable. With increasing
distance from a forest, the social and ecological values of land uses increased. The accompanying scoring justifications indicated
the existence of in-depth ecological knowledge, which conform to contemporary scientific reports. Generally, this study showed
that social and ecological values, besides financial values, strongly influence farmer’s decision in implementing various
practices related to the land use types. Thus, such values are worth considering for a holistic understanding of the diverse
benefits of land uses. Finally, the strong preference for tree and shrub-based land use types is a good opportunity for enhancing
tree and shrub growing to minimize the major environmental problems (e.g., soil degradation, wood shortage and deforestation)
in the central highlands of Ethiopia. |
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