Call for Papers : Volume 16, Issue 02, February 2025, Open Access; Impact Factor; Peer Reviewed Journal; Fast Publication

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Economic Valuation of Ecosystem Services Provided by Agroforestry under Climate change Effects in the Foothills of Mumirwa, Burundi

Natural resources are facing serious degradation all over the world as a result of rapid population growth. This galloping population puts pressure on agroforestry ecosystems around the world. Yet, developing countries do not have methods to appraise the economic value of services provided by these ecosystems. They offer many opportunities to improve people’s livelihoods. However, trapped in the socio-economic development process, agroforestry faces different threats including: deforestation, soil degradation, pollution, overexploitation of biotic and abiotic resources, etc. This work has contributed to identify agroforestry ecosystems and their services in order to determine their value. It will contribute to raising awareness among public and private decision-makers on the importance of agroforestry in terms of its input to protecting the environment and maintaining economic activity and ensuring populations’ well-being. Applying the market price and avoided cost method, the work focused on analysing the economic value of ecosystem services provided by agroforestry in the foothills of Mumirwa. Results showed that ecosystem services provide a yearly average of 548,647.6 FBU while the minimum sum of a household is 300,000 FBU and the maximum is 1,200,000 FBU yearly. However, these methods used to assess ecosystem services remain complex. They are very often limited to direct use values and therefore, ignore non-use values constituting an important part of the total economic value of biodiversity. The study proves that agroforestry provides various environmental and economic benefits. From an economic point of view, households diversify their sources of income through agroforestry practices found on their farms. In a context of climate change, agroforestry ecosystems contribute to the reconstitution degraded landscapes and soil's regulation.

Author: 
Ngendakumana Serge, Ndacayisaba Ferdinand, Joris Backaert, Bukobero Libère, Gahiro Léonidas and Habonimana Bernadette
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Journal Area: 
Social Sciences and Humanities