J. Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 5(2): 267 - 274 , 2012 ISSN 1999-7361 Contributions of Agroforestry Practice Towards Reducing Poverty at Keshabpur Upazila of Jessore District – A Case Study M. W. Islam, M. M. Islam and M. N. Sadath Forestry and Wood Technology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna 9208, Bangladesh Abstract The systematic agroforestry practice is being popular day by day in Jessore district of Bangladesh. Considering the situation, the present study aims to know the farmers’ attitude and perception about agroforestry practice and to find out the potentialities of agroforestry to reduce poverty at the study area viz., Keshabpur upazila of Jessore district. Mixed method by using semi- structured questionnaires was followed in the field survey. The results illustrated that the respondents preferred agricultural practice (average 58.45% of their total lands) as their major land use followed by homestead and agroforestry land uses (31.75%). Agroforestry was getting popularity as well as socially and ecologically acceptable at this area due to the diversified outcomes of this practice. The small land holders (possession >1 acre) were the most interested among the respondents to practice agroforestry. The less poor agroforestry farmers’ change of income was also higher than the poor farmers. The increased production and income facilitated the villagers to reduce their poverty to some extent and thus they had better access to their daily necessities which helped them to attain a minimal standard of living. Key words: Agricultural crops, Households, Income, Land use, Perennial crops, Perception Introduction (upper line) (Anon, 2010). As the population of this area is increasing day by day so agroforestry can be Bangladesh has 2.46 million ha of forestland covering an important land use system to meet the demand of about 17% of the country’s area. Bangladesh Forest forest produces and also to reduce the poverty for the Department (FD) controls, manages and protects all people of this region. Considering the background the state-owned forests except Unclassed Stated Forest objectives of the present study are to know the (USF) (FD, 2012). More than 90% of the state-owned farmers’ attitude and perception about agroforestry forest land is concentrated in 12 districts in the practice and to find out the potentialities of eastern and south-western regions of the country and agroforestry to reduce poverty at the study area. out of 64 districts, 28 districts have no state-owned forest at all (GoB, 1990). Besides the traditional Materials and Methods forestry practices in the forest lands, agroforestry practices in the croplands and homesteads play a vital Selection of study area: Keshabpur upazila or sub- roles in increasing tree coverage and to supply district (Fig. 1) of Jessore district (south-western part annual, perennial and animal products and services. of Bangladesh) under Khulna division is a potential Jessore is the district situated on the southwestern place for practicing agroforestry. A considerable part of Bangladesh (BBS, 2012). There is no natural portion of the population of this area is involved with forest in this region having only 15% of village forest agroforestry practice. So, Keshabpur upazila was (private-owned) which is too small to meet the selected as the study area purposively for the present demands of per capita consumption of timber and fire study. Three villages (Nuton Mulgram, Komorpur wood for the population (Devidson, 1984). There are and Jahanpur) of Keshabpur upazila were selected 48% to 60% people who are living under poverty line randomly where agroforestry is practiced. Fig. 1. Keshabpur upazila of Jessore district- the study area (Source: Banglapedia, 2006) 267 J. Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 5(2) : 267 - 274, 2012 About study area: The distance of Keshabpur upazila crops, homestead and cropland agroforestry species from Jessore city is 32 km which is located between and perception on importance of trees. The field 22º48' and 22º57′ N latitudes and between 89º07′ and survey was carried out in 2004-05. 89º22′ E longitudes covering an area of 258.52 km2. It consists of 143 villages under 9 unions. This upazila Types of data collection and analysis: Two types of is surrounded by Manirampur upazila to the north, data were collected for this study. a. Primary data: Tala and Dumuria upazila to the south, Dumuria Field survey was carried out through formal and upazila also covers the southeast part and Kalarua informal face-to-face individual interview with the upazila is to the west. The total population of this respondents (local households/farmers) of the upazila was (according to Population Census 2001) targeted study area and b. Secondary data: 2,26,367 (male 51.36%, female 48.64%, ration Information were collected from different libraries of 106:100) having the density of 875/km2 consisting of Khulna University, journals and magazines, published total 49,900 households and where the annual growth and unpublished national and international reports, rate was 1.23. websites, etc. The collected data were reviewed, sorted and analyzed systematically considering the Data collection method: The focus of the study was objectives of the study. MS Excel package was used to know the farmers’ attitude and perceptions to analyze these survey data. regarding practicing agroforestry at Keshabpur upazila of Jessore district. So, the farmer of this study Results and Discussions area was selected as the target population and the primary data were collected from the field survey The findings along with the discussions related to using mixed method followed by semi-structured poverty alleviation through agroforestry practice at questionnaire. Due to unavailable of reliable data on the study area based on the field survey have been the farmers who practice in this study area random presented in the section. sampling was not possible in the field. As a result snowball purposive sampling method was used to Family size collect the field data. The sample size of the study The average family size of the targeted households was 80 where the farmers who practiced agroforestry i.e., respondents of the three studied villages (viz. were the sampling units. Mixed method was used to Nuton Mulgram, Komorpur and Jahanpur) of collect the field data. Farmers’ attitude and Keshabpur upazila has been shown in Table 1 on the perceptions regarding practicing agroforestry were basis of their age and sex. The average no. of male viewed from different angles along with their socio- family members (2.72) is higher than the same of economic characteristics by the help of the female (2.14) in these villages. The average questionnaire. Different indicators for assessing the household size of the respondents was found as 4.86 contributions of agroforestry practice in reducing members. The average family size in Bangladesh is poverty at the study area were selected for this study. 4.84 members (BBS, 2005). So, the average family These indicators were: income status, educational size of the study area was slightly higher than the status, housing condition, sanitation condition, national average at that time. household assets status, production of agricultural Table 1. Family size of the respondents by sex and age. Avg. no. of family members of the respondents by sex & age (yrs.) Total *Avg. family Up to 15 15+ to 30 30+ to 45 45+ to 60 60+ size (no.) M F M F M F M F M F M F 0.85 0.82 0.82 0.55 0.65 0.52 0.27 0.15 0.13 0.1 2.72 2.14 4.86 *Average of 80 households. M: Male; F: female Land status had only less than 1 acre of land where 42.17% of Land status of the respondent households surveyed to land were used as agricultural practice, 27.71% for indicate their economic condition. Their land holding agroforestry, 18.07% for homestead practice and the status has been categorized under the extent of rest (12.05%) were for the other land use purposes. homestead, agroforestry, agriculture and other land. Most of the respondents (42.5%) were under the The results showed (Table 2) that 32.5% households category of land size 1 to >2.5 acre. As a result, three- 268 J. Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 5(2) : 267 - 274, 2012 fourth of the respondents had less than 2.5 acres of other land uses followed by homestead (17.14%), land and the rest one-fourth had more than 2.5 acres agroforestry (14.61%) and other land uses (9.79%). It of land. Among the different land use categories was noted that there was no landless respondent. agricultural practice was predominant (58.45%) over Table 2. Different categories of land uses of the respondent households Amount Average hand (in acre) for different land uses of land ( No. of respondents in acre) Homestead Agroforestry Agriculture Others Total Less than 26 (32.5) 0.15 (18.07)* 0.23 (27.71) 0.35 (42.17) 0.1 (12.05) 0.83 1 1 to >2.5 34 (42.5) 0.41 (20.81) 0.34 (17.26) 1.07 (54.31) 0.15 (7.61) 1.97 2.5 to >5 10 (12.5) 0.59 (16.43) 0.50 (13.93) 2.14 (59.61) 0.36 (10.03) 3.59 More 10 (12.5) 1.02 (16.27) 0.78 (12.44) 3.84 (61.24) 0.63 (10.05) 6.27 than 5 Total 80 (100) 2.17 (17.14) 1.85 (14.61) 7.4 (58.45) 1.24 (9.79) 12.66 * The figures in the parentheses are in percentage Increasing income after practicing agroforestry for few years their The average monthly income distribution of the monthly income increased (12.5%) to Tk. 1800.00. respondents has been divided into four income groups The average change of income of the respondents was in two time frame viz.