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Priority Areas for Agroforestry Research in Zimbabwe
By E.M.Shumba with a contribution from C.Nhira
Price:  [Z$65]

The objective of this study was to conduct an agroforestry research needs
analysis in Zimbabwe with emphasis on identifying the key research and
development issues.  It was noted that a number of institutions were independently implementing agroforestry projects with varying degrees of success and that
several attempts have been made at project-coordination and research priority
setting.

The following five high priority research areas were identified with respect to
agroforestry technologies:

• Fine tuning and integrating the promising agroforestry technologies into
  the existing smallholder farming systems.

• Broadening the multi-purpose tree species collection and screening work
  to include indigenous tree species and other potential exotics for various
  use and site niches.

• Broadening the indeginous fruit tree domestication initiatives
  (collection and evaluation) to include other economically important fruit tree
  species and the subsequent improvement of the promising ones.

• Conducting adoption rate studies of agroforestry technologies.

• Developing mutually acceptable perfomance indicators for the assessment of agroforestry initiatives.

With respect to agroforestry development and policy, the following issues were
given high priority, and should be accompanied by appropriate research:

• The development of a policy framework that recognizes agroforestry as a
  sustainable and profitable land use system for smallholder farming.

• The production of quality seed of promising multi-purpose tree species and
  availing it to the intended beneficiaries.

Technical on-station/on-farm research has predominated to the exlusions of
research oriented to the social and economic dimensions of agroforestry. 
Thus there is a dire need for social and economic research dimensions to be
incorporated into both on-station and on-farm research with the bias tilting
towards user-driven in-depth studies within agroforestry extension project
contexts.  Critical research needs fall into four areas:

• Valuation studies;

• Household factor allocation processe;

• Differential impacts of agroforestry interventions across social groups;

• Resource control strategies.

The study concludes by noting that the successful implementation of the prioritized agroforestry research and development areas will largely depend on improved
co-ordination and collaboration among the various stakeholders and the adoption
of a multi-institutional pilot project approach in which the stakeholders participate
in project formulation, implementation and evaluation.