TY - JOUR
T1 - Kikuyu agroforestry
T2 - an historical analysis
AU - Castro, Alfonso Peter
N1 - Funding Information:
Research in Kirinyaga, Kenya, was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Intercultural Studies Foundation, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. The author also wishes to thank the Kenya National Archives, Nairobi, Kenya, the Embu District Archives in Embu, Kenya, and Special Collections, Bird Research Library, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York. The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not reflect the views of the supporting agencies.
PY - 1993/9
Y1 - 1993/9
N2 - This paper provides a historical analysis of indigenous agroforestry practices among Ndia and Gichugu Kikuyu cultivators in Kirinyaga District, Kenya. The Kikuyu have long-devised agroforestry practices such as selective cutting, protection of woodland, and intercropping, in response to competing pressures for retaining and removing tree cover. Traditional religious beliefs, common property resource tenure, and farm forestry practices contributed to the conservation of trees. It is argued that indigenous agroforestry techniques and strategies mitigated the impact of deforestation by incorporating valued multipurpose trees in local production systems. The paper briefly examines how indigenous agroforestry was modified by state forestry, agricultural, and land use policies and programs. Although communal tree management strategies have collapsed, indigenous farm forestry practices remain a resilient and viable part of contemporary land use strategies.
AB - This paper provides a historical analysis of indigenous agroforestry practices among Ndia and Gichugu Kikuyu cultivators in Kirinyaga District, Kenya. The Kikuyu have long-devised agroforestry practices such as selective cutting, protection of woodland, and intercropping, in response to competing pressures for retaining and removing tree cover. Traditional religious beliefs, common property resource tenure, and farm forestry practices contributed to the conservation of trees. It is argued that indigenous agroforestry techniques and strategies mitigated the impact of deforestation by incorporating valued multipurpose trees in local production systems. The paper briefly examines how indigenous agroforestry was modified by state forestry, agricultural, and land use policies and programs. Although communal tree management strategies have collapsed, indigenous farm forestry practices remain a resilient and viable part of contemporary land use strategies.
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U2 - 10.1016/0167-8809(93)90012-E
DO - 10.1016/0167-8809(93)90012-E
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0027728895
SN - 0167-8809
VL - 46
SP - 45
EP - 54
JO - Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment
JF - Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment
IS - 1-4
ER -