Joshua Zake, March 2015 (updated)

Doctoral Candidate, Collaboration between Department of Forestry

and Soils, and Centre for Development Research (CDR), BOKU,

Vienna, Austria; and Environmental Alert, Kampala, Uganda

Telephone: +256712862050,+436889585364,+256773057488;

Email: joszake@gmail.com

Banana-coffee agroforestry systems

contribute to food security and climate

change mitigation among smallholder

farmers in Central Uganda

Situation

• Majority of farmers (40%) in Kintuntu and Nkozi sub-

counties grow bananas and coffee robusta as

monocultures;

• 26% of farmers in Kintuntu and Nkozi sub counties practice

banana-coffee robusta agroforestry systems;

• Majority of farmers perceived that climate variability

disasters (prolonged droughts – 78%, pests and disease

out breaks – 50% heavy rains with strong winds – 37%, - )

have occurred in Kintuntu and Nkozi sub-counties in the

last 2-5 years

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Negative impacts

• Farmers growing banana and coffee as monocultures

were most affected by climate variability induced

disasters and impacts – especially prolonged droughts;

• Reduced crop yields;

• Destruction of crop fields;

• Increased pests and diseases outbreak in the

plantations;

• Increased household food insecurity and reduced

income

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Interestingly

“Banana-coffee robusta

agroforestry systems farmers

coped better against impacts of

climate variability induced

disasters“

-At the right spacing banana,

coffee and other agroforestry tree

species can mutually coexist;

-The farmers benefit from harvest

of both crops (i.e. food, cash, fuel

wood…) throughout the year

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Key message

“Promote Banana-

coffee robusta

agroforestry systems

for food/income

security and

contribute to climate

change mitigation

among smallholder

farmers in Mpigi

district, Central

Uganda”

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Positive outcomes of banana –coffee

agroforestry

• Increased soil fertility in terms of soil organic

matter and Nitrogen under banana-coffee robusta

agroforestry;

• Increased household food security among

smallholder farmers practicing banana-coffee

robusta agroforestry system;

• Banana-coffee robusta agroforestry systems store

more carbon in the soil (14 t/ha) - 2 times greater

than banana mono culture farming systems. Thus

have better mitigation potential for climate change.

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Next actions/steps

• Practicing agro-forestry (banana-coffee robusta

and other agroforestry trees species) and leave by

example in the community;

• Increased resources allocation to support

establishment of banana-coffee robusta

agroforestry farms thus through awareness and

training of farmers, access to improved planting

materials – bananas, coffee and appropriate agro-

forestry tree species;

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Next actions/steps

• Enact legislation (ordinances and byelaws) to promote

banana-coffee robusta agroforestry systems at local

level;

• Provide incentives (recognition of outstanding farmers,

access to micro-finance…) for farmers to adapt banana-

coffee robusta agroforestry farming systems.

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Selected references for further reading

• Zake, J. and Hauser, M. (2014). Farmers' perceptions of

implementation of climate variability disaster preparedness

strategies in Central Uganda. Journal of Environmental

Hazards. doi:10.1080/17477891.2014.910491

• Zake, J., Pietsch, S. A., Friedel, J. K. and Zechmeister-

Boltenstern, S. (2015), Can agroforestry improve soil

fertility and carbon storage in smallholder banana farming

systems?. J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci..

doi: 10.1002/jpln.201400281

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Thank you for listening!!!

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