Exploring the Agroforestry Adoption Gap: Financial and Socioeconomics of Litchi-Based Agroforestry by Smallholders in Rajshahi (Bangladesh) - Smallholder Tree Growing for Rural Development and Environmental Services - page 219

The annual average rainfall is 1,448 mm, with highest intensity in July, followed by
August and September. The average humidity ranges from March lows of 45 percent
to 71 percent to July highs of 84 percent to 92 percent. The topography is a flood-
plain with loamy soils and an average elevation of 20 m above sea level.
The agroforestry system practiced in the village is one of the most common in
the district, and is a multi-strata cropping system based on litchi ( Litchi chinensis ),
a multipurpose tree species, interplanted with vegetable, condiment, or fruit crop
species such as ginger ( Zingiber officinale ), turmeric ( Curcuma domestica ), egg-
plant ( Solanum melongena ), lemon ( Citrus limonum ), papaya ( Carica papaya ), and
banana ( Musa spp.). Generally, this system is practiced on land where the farmers
previously planted seasonal cash crops. In spite of the very small size of the man-
agement units (0.25 ha on average), the multistrata system is characterized by high
species diversity (five to seven species per plot, see Table 11.1) and usually three to
four vertical canopy strata, which results in intimate plant associations. The lower
strata can usually be partitioned into two layers, with the lowest one (less than 1.0 m
height) dominated by eggplant, ginger, and turmeric and the higher one (1.0 to
3.0 m) by banana, papaya, and lemon. The upper stratum is dominated by the litchi
trees. Eggplant, papaya, banana, and lemon serve as intercrops during the first four
years after the litchi is planted. Then, the shade-tolerant species ginger and turmeric
are commonly planted under the litchi trees, in order to maximize the utilization of
sunlight and improve soil protection.
The agroforestry system has been introduced and promoted in the village by a
project implemented by the District Forestry Office of the Government of
Bangladesh, called “Development of Social Forestry” that provided training, seeds,
and seedlings. The first phase was carried out between 1981 and 1987, and the sec-
ond phase, then called 'Extended Social Forestry Project” (Muhammed et al. 2005)
was executed from 1995 to 1997. The agroforestry adoption rate in the village was
14 percent in the year 2001. A re-visit of the village early 2007 showed that the
adoption rate is still at the same level.
The seasonal crop system is a double-cropping of either rice followed by wheat
or rice twice a year. We use the rice/wheat system here as basis for comparison
because it is the most widely practiced in the region and the village.

Table 11.1 Components of the litchi-based multistrata agroforestry system in Rajshahi district,
Bangladesh. (Litchi being the main crop, it dominates the overall grid and receives priority at
intersections.) (Field observations for this study)
Species name

Spacing (m) Number of Number of

rows per ha plants per ha

Litchi (Litchi chinensis) 8 × 8 12 144

Lemon (Citrus limonum), 3 × 3 24 792

Papaya (Carica papaya) 2.5 × 2.5 12 480

Banana (Musa species). 2.5 × 2.5 12 480

Eggplant (Solanum melongena) 0.75 × 0.75 50 2,000

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) 0.50 × 0.20 200 100,000

Turmeric (Curcuma domestica) 0.50 × 0.20 200 100,000