Climate change mitigation potential of agroforestry farms in West African Savanna

• Published in: Environmental challenges (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Vol. 10; p. 100678
• Main Authors: Benebere, Patrick, Appiah, Divine Odame, Aabeyir, Raymond, Abass, Kabila, Guodaar, Lawrence
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.01.2023; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agroforestry; Climate change mitigation; Nandom municipal; Climate change mitigation; Nandom municipal; Agroforestry
• ISSN: 2667-0100; 2667-0100
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envc.2023.100678

•Tree density in agroforestry farms ranges between 33 tree/ha and 288 trees/ha.•Average carbon stock potential of agroforestry farm ranges from 3.561 ton/ha to 15.814 ton/ha.•Lannea velutina, Vitellaria paradoxa and Parkia biglobosa have high agroforestry and climate change mitigation potential.•Agroforestry has potential for mitigating climate change in the Nandom Municipality if practised on a wide scale. Agroforestry is a land management strategy which interfaces between agriculture and forestry. It is a reliable means to combating climate change in different parts of the world. Although majority of smallholder farmers in Ghana are aware of the benefits associated with agroforestry practice, degradation of trees on farmlands remains a major concern. This study investigates the potential of agroforestry as a climate change mitigation strategy in the Nandom Municipal. Eight (8) agroforestry farms were selected for assessment using the non-destructive method. In each farm, the trees were identified by both scientific and local names. The diameter at breast height and height of the trees were measured. The biomass was estimated using the allometric model developed by Aabeyir et al. (2020). The carbon was estimated from the biomass using a factor of 0.47. The results indicate that carbon sequestration is high among trees species like Lannea velutina, Parkia biglobosa and Vitellaria paradoxa which often have large DBH. The study therefore recommends for nursery and integration of such tree species with smallholder crops for purposes of agroforestry.