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 222

Table 11.2 Yearly costs per hectare of the litchi-based multistrata agroforestry system and rice/
wheat double cropping system in Rajshahi district, Bangladesh
Type of operation Year Operation costs (US$/ha)

Multistrata Seasonal

agroforestry culture

Establishment cost 1 1,520 1,140

Labor cost 1-10 152 57 Average yearly labor costs

for weeding, thinning,
pruning, harvesting,
protection, etc.

11-30 190 57

For agroforestry during

years 11 to 30, litchi
gives high yields
requiring high protection
and harvesting cost.

Pesticide cost 1-30 10 11

Fertilizer (NPK) cost 1-6 228 114

7-10 190 114

11-30 114 114

Irrigation (excl. labor) 1-30 570 133

11.4.4 Pesticide and Fertilizer Cost

Chemical fertilizers are often used for enhancing farm production. The average cost
for pesticides and fertilizers do not change through the years except that in the
agroforestry system, the quantities of chemical fertilizers gradually decrease over
the years, because the trees increasingly provide nutrients for the understory crops.
Pesticides are not generally used in both systems.

11.4.5 Irrigation Cost

Irrigation is essential during the dry season. In the study area, the average yearly
irrigation cost is US$570 for agroforestry and US$133 for the seasonal cultures.

11.4.6 Discount Rate

The analysis is carried out from the farmer's perspective, hence using the individual
rather than a social discount rate. A common way to estimate this rate is by taking