Farmers’ Perceptions of Tree Shelterbelts on Agricultural Land in Rural Kyrgyzstan

  • The reestablishment of agroforestry systems in Central Asia, combining crop production with protective tree shelterbelts, provides significant potential to improve farming systems. This includes increasing crop yields, additional income from timber, as well as reducing soil degradation and wind erosion. Thus, adopting shelterbelts as a form of pro-environmental behavior provides a number of socio-economic benefits, although some trade-offs need to be considered as well. This paper investigates factors that shape the perception of—and attitude towards—the establishment of tree shelterbelts by farmers in two case study regions in Kyrgyzstan. Applying a conceptual framework distinguishing between extrinsic and intrinsic factors, research methods included semi-structured interviews with farmers and local policy makers. The results show spatial differences in the perception of shelterbelts, both on the regional and on the village scale. In general, shelterbelts were negatively perceived by more than half of the farmers. The main concernThe reestablishment of agroforestry systems in Central Asia, combining crop production with protective tree shelterbelts, provides significant potential to improve farming systems. This includes increasing crop yields, additional income from timber, as well as reducing soil degradation and wind erosion. Thus, adopting shelterbelts as a form of pro-environmental behavior provides a number of socio-economic benefits, although some trade-offs need to be considered as well. This paper investigates factors that shape the perception of—and attitude towards—the establishment of tree shelterbelts by farmers in two case study regions in Kyrgyzstan. Applying a conceptual framework distinguishing between extrinsic and intrinsic factors, research methods included semi-structured interviews with farmers and local policy makers. The results show spatial differences in the perception of shelterbelts, both on the regional and on the village scale. In general, shelterbelts were negatively perceived by more than half of the farmers. The main concern raised by farmers was the shading of crops by shelterbelts, resulting in a decrease of yield. In addition, small field sizes and potential conflicts with neighbors were key concerns. Furthermore, rules set by local self-government bodies were inconsistent with the legislative framework, posing significant restrictions to the adoption of sustainable land use practices.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author:Daniel Ruppert, Martin WelpORCiD, Michael SpiesORCiDGND, Niels ThevsORCiD
URN:urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-2323
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/su12031093
ISSN:2071-1050
Parent Title (English):Sustainabilty
Publisher:MDPI
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Year of Completion:2020
Date of Publication (online):2022/05/24
Date of first Publication:2020/02/04
Publishing Institution:Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde
Release Date:2022/05/24
Tag:Central Asia; adoption; agriculture; agroforestry; perception; pro-environmental behavior
Volume:2020
Issue:12
Article Number:1093
Page Number:18
Institutions / Departments:Fachbereich Wald und Umwelt / Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management
Dewey Decimal Classification:6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 63 Landwirtschaft / 630 Landwirtschaft und verwandte Bereiche
9 Geschichte und Geografie / 91 Geografie, Reisen / 915 Geografie Asiens und Reisen in Asien
open_access (DINI-Set):open_access
University Bibliography:University Bibliography
Zweitveröffentlichung
Peer-Review / Referiert
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - CC BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International
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