Abstract :
To better plan for future involvement of women in the management of the environment, it is crucial to understand their perceptions on agroforestry practices for environmental conservation. The study assessed women’s perceptions on agroforestry for environmental conservation in Lubungo A and Maseyu villages which are adjacent to Kitulang’halo Forest Reserve in Morogoro Rural District. Secondary data reviews and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) involving Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), field observations and household interviews were used for data collection. The results of this study indicated that in both villages studied there were dominance of male headed households, married head of households, working group, small and medium household size, number of respondents completed primary education and farming activities. From the Likert scale analysis it was realized that, the perception of women on the contribution of agroforestry to environmental conservation was generally positive. However, women were highly positive (1st Rank) about the contribution of agroforestry to wind break. Furthermore, the chi-square (X2) test results showed that there was a significant relationship between household head (X2 = 8.63, p = 0.013), age (X2 = 11.227, p = 0.024) and the level of rating of the contribution of agroforestry to environmental conservation. Conversely, X2 test showed no association between marital status, education level and household size with respondent’s level of rating. For a better future management of the environment in the agricultural landscapes women should equally recognise all the environmental benefits of the agroforestry activities. Furthermore, provision of agroforestry and environmental education, accessible loan for agroforestry, seedlings and modern agricultural equipments for enhancing agroforestry practices for environmental conservation is necessary.
Keyword :
Agroforestry; Environment; Conservation; Perceptions; Women.