Management Practices and Determinants of Fruit Tree-Based Agroforestry Practice in Moret and Jiru District, North Shewa Ethiopia

Abstract Fruit tree-based agroforestry practice in Moret and Jiru was developed by the farmers themselves over time. However, their distribution had remained to certain localities. Thus, this research answers determinants of adoption and the management practices of fruit tree-based agroforestry practice in the study area. Therefore, this research aims to (i) assess management practices of FTBAFPs; ii) identify the determinants of smallholder farmers’ adoption of FTBAFPs in the Moret and Jiru District, North Shewa Zone, Ethiopia. Data were collected in three purposively selected Kebeles using household survey (149 households), key informants (18), focus group discussion (3) and field observation due to the high potential of fruit production and accessibility to data collection. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statics and binary logistic regression methods. The result revealed that common management practices employed by respondents for fruit trees included thinning, hoeing, fencing, pest and disease control, watering, weeding, and fertilizing. However, adoption of FTBAFP was positively and significantly influenced by age (p =0.006), and education (p = 0.004)) at 1 % significance level; landholding (p = 0.017), labour (p = 0.030), and wealth status of households (0.042) at 5 % significance level. Therefore, due emphasis has to be given towards strengthening rural education for adults to increase number of agroforestry adopters by increasing awareness and an appropriate intervention such as variety improvement through research to reduce susceptibility by disease and pest of fruit tree–based agroforestry practice.