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The study sought to determine the extent to which fallowing can lead to recovery towards an historic woody vegetation of Sudanian woodlands in northern Uganda. Fallow sites of three distinct ages were assessed. Plots were established in crop fields that had been under cultivation for over 10 years, sites that had been under fallow for 3–6 years (young fallow) and fallow sites of at least 9 years (old fallow) in three districts. In each plot, all woody plants were enumerated and species composition, diversity and richness assessed. Young fallow plots were dominated by pioneer species such as Piliostigma thonningii and Annona senegalensis, while old fallow by a mix of late and early successional species such as Vachellia hockii (formerly Acacia hockii) and Combretum collinum. Vitellaria paradoxa (Shea butter tree) was the most abundant in all fallow categories. Species composition in crop field was different from young and old fallow. Species richness increased significantly from abandoned Crop field to Young fallow and then to Old fallow. Simpson's Diversity Index showed similar trends. V. paradoxa contributed most to overall similarity among the fallow categories. Fallowing can facilitate restoration of characteristic species of Sudanian woodlands.
Patrick Byakagaba; John Bosco L. Okullo; Gerald Eilu; Edward N. Mwavu. The role of fallowing in the restoration of woody species in the Woodlands of Northern Uganda. African Journal of Ecology 2021, 1 .
AMA StylePatrick Byakagaba, John Bosco L. Okullo, Gerald Eilu, Edward N. Mwavu. The role of fallowing in the restoration of woody species in the Woodlands of Northern Uganda. African Journal of Ecology. 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StylePatrick Byakagaba; John Bosco L. Okullo; Gerald Eilu; Edward N. Mwavu. 2021. "The role of fallowing in the restoration of woody species in the Woodlands of Northern Uganda." African Journal of Ecology , no. : 1.
Understanding the impact of commercial agriculture in the face of global change is critical to support strategies that ensure food security and alleviate poverty among households. We assessed the contribution of commercial sugarcane cultivation to household-level food security among smallholder farmers in Busoga sub-region, eastern Uganda. Land use changes are motivated by quick commercial gains rather than sustained food production; a situation that influences food security. The majority of households cultivate few crop varieties, lack adequate and nutritious foods, and have inadequate income to purchase food to meet their needs. Inadequacy of food within some commercial sugarcane-cultivating households suggests that generating income does not necessarily increase food security. To cope with food insecurity, households offer labour in exchange for food, borrow food, ration food, and at times steal. This is exacerbated by increasing food crop failures, large family sizes, trade in food items, and declining availability of food and land for food production. Commercial sugarcane cultivation is the main driver of food insecurity but given its perceived economic benefits, future sugarcane plantations expansion in the region is probably inevitable. Therefore, future policy should be designed to provide triple-win strategies (i.e., food security, poverty alleviation, and climate change adaptation) that provide sustainable livelihoods.
Edward N. Mwavu; Vettes K. Kalema; Fred Bateganya; Patrick Byakagaba; Daniel Waiswa; Thomas Enuru; Michael S. Mbogga. Expansion of Commercial Sugarcane Cultivation among Smallholder Farmers in Uganda: Implications for Household Food Security. Land 2018, 7, 73 .
AMA StyleEdward N. Mwavu, Vettes K. Kalema, Fred Bateganya, Patrick Byakagaba, Daniel Waiswa, Thomas Enuru, Michael S. Mbogga. Expansion of Commercial Sugarcane Cultivation among Smallholder Farmers in Uganda: Implications for Household Food Security. Land. 2018; 7 (2):73.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEdward N. Mwavu; Vettes K. Kalema; Fred Bateganya; Patrick Byakagaba; Daniel Waiswa; Thomas Enuru; Michael S. Mbogga. 2018. "Expansion of Commercial Sugarcane Cultivation among Smallholder Farmers in Uganda: Implications for Household Food Security." Land 7, no. 2: 73.
Understanding biodiversity in homegardens embedded in landscapes dominated by commercial monoculture agriculture is critical for sustainable management of agrobiodiversity and meeting rural households’ needs in the face of global changes. We assessed agrobiodiversity in the 120 homegardens and its contribution to rural household livelihood strategies within a commercial monoculture sugarcane cultivation land matrix in eastern Uganda. We recorded a total of 68 plant species from 46 genera representing 27 families. Species richness spanned 6 to 19 species, and α-diversity (H’) ranged from 0.6 to 2.3; with 86.67% of the homegardens having H’ >1. Species composition differed significantly (global RANOSIM = 0.153, p < 0.001) among the villages. The most important and commonly maintained plants were those that provided food, fuelwood and money income and included Zea mays L., Manihot esculenta, Phaesolus spp., Coffea sp., Musa spp., Ipomea batatus and Artocarpus heterophyllus. Most of the crops cited as useful by households were also frequent and visible in many of the homegardens. Although homegardens still hold some valuable plants, there is also loss of important plants from the agricultural system including cowpeas, soya beans, bambara groundnuts, finger millet, cotton, aerial yams and oysternut essential for sustaining household livelihoods. This loss, precipitated by increased land-use/cover change to commercial sugarcane plantations threatens agrobiodiversity conservation and the benefits households derive from homegardens. Our findings underline the importance of homegardens in the conservation of indigenous agrobiodiversity, and indicate that with the continued expansion of commercial sugarcane cultivation this opportunity may be lost.
Edward N. Mwavu; Esther Ariango; Paul Ssegawa; Vettes N. Kalema; Fred Bateganya; Daniel Waiswa; Patrick Byakagaba. Agrobiodiversity of homegardens in a commercial sugarcane cultivation land matrix in Uganda. International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management 2016, 12, 191 -201.
AMA StyleEdward N. Mwavu, Esther Ariango, Paul Ssegawa, Vettes N. Kalema, Fred Bateganya, Daniel Waiswa, Patrick Byakagaba. Agrobiodiversity of homegardens in a commercial sugarcane cultivation land matrix in Uganda. International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management. 2016; 12 (3):191-201.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEdward N. Mwavu; Esther Ariango; Paul Ssegawa; Vettes N. Kalema; Fred Bateganya; Daniel Waiswa; Patrick Byakagaba. 2016. "Agrobiodiversity of homegardens in a commercial sugarcane cultivation land matrix in Uganda." International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management 12, no. 3: 191-201.
Understanding plant species diversity patterns and distributions is critical for conserving and sustainably managing tropical rain forests of high conservation value. We analyzed the alpha‐diversity, species abundance distributions, and relative ecological importance of woody species in the Budongo Forest, a remnant forest of the Albertine Rift in Uganda. In 32 0.5‐ha plots, we recorded 269 species in 171 genera and 51 families with stems of ≥2.0 cm in diameter at breast height (dbh). There were 53 more species with stems of ≥2.0 cm dbh than with stems of ≥10 cm dbh, of which 33 were treelets and 20 were multi‐stemmed shrubs. For both minimum stem diameter cut‐offs (i.e., ≥2 cm dbh vs. ≥10 cm dbh), the Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Ulmaceae, and Meliaceae families and the species Cynometra alexandri, Lasiodiscus mildbraedii, and Celtis mildbraedii had the highest relative ecological importance. The relative ecological importance of some species and families changed greatly with the minimum stem diameter measured. Alpha‐diversity, species richness, and species abundance distributions varied across historical management practice types, forest community types, and as a function of minimum stem diameter. Species richness and Shannon–Weiner diversity index were greater for species with stems of ≥2.0 cm dbh than of ≥10 cm dbh. The decrease in species evenness with an increasing number of plots was accompanied by an increase in species richness for trees of both minimum diameters. This forest is characterized by a small number of abundant species and a relatively large proportion of infrequent species, many of which are sparsely distributed and with restricted habitats. We recommend lowering the minimum stem diameter measured for woody species diversity studies in tropical forests from 10 cm dbh to 2 cm dbh to include a larger proportion of the species pool.
Edward N. Mwavu; Ed T. F. Witkowski. Woody Species Alpha-diversity and Species Abundance Distributions in an African Semi-deciduous Tropical Rain Forest. Biotropica 2015, 47, 424 -434.
AMA StyleEdward N. Mwavu, Ed T. F. Witkowski. Woody Species Alpha-diversity and Species Abundance Distributions in an African Semi-deciduous Tropical Rain Forest. Biotropica. 2015; 47 (4):424-434.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEdward N. Mwavu; Ed T. F. Witkowski. 2015. "Woody Species Alpha-diversity and Species Abundance Distributions in an African Semi-deciduous Tropical Rain Forest." Biotropica 47, no. 4: 424-434.
Savanna landscapes are vitally important in providing both ecological and economic services that sustain local livelihoods and national economies, particularly for sub‐Saharan African countries whose economies are mainly agrarian. Development prospects in savanna landscapes are however dependent on actions to avoid and to slow or reverse degradation and that are aided with a clear understanding of trends in land use/cover changes, their causes and implications for conservation. We analysed land use/cover changes based on three Landsat satellite images (1984, 1995 and 2000/2001) and the influence of human utilization on the changes in an equatorial African savanna, central Uganda, for the period 1984–2000/2001. The land cover classification and change analysis clearly identified the dominant land cover types, revealing a severe reduction in woodland cover with dense woodlands decreasing by 64%, over a 17‐year period. Consequently, medium woodland, open woodland and cultivation/settlements areas cover increased by 31%, 3% and 80%, respectively. The cover change analysis results were corroborated with interview results that also attributed the woodland cover loss to increasing commercial charcoal production, expanding livestock grazing, subsistence crop cultivation and an insecure land use tenure system. Indeed, the major land use types in the savanna are charcoal production, shifting crop cultivation and livestock rearing. The decreasing woody vegetation cover threatens the savanna's ability to continue providing ecosystems services to support the livelihoods of people who mainly depend on natural resources and are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Vettes N. Kalema; Edward T. F. Witkowski; Barend F. N. Erasmus; Edward Mwavu. The Impacts of Changes in Land Use on Woodlands in an Equatorial African Savanna. Land Degradation & Development 2013, 26, 632 -641.
AMA StyleVettes N. Kalema, Edward T. F. Witkowski, Barend F. N. Erasmus, Edward Mwavu. The Impacts of Changes in Land Use on Woodlands in an Equatorial African Savanna. Land Degradation & Development. 2013; 26 (7):632-641.
Chicago/Turabian StyleVettes N. Kalema; Edward T. F. Witkowski; Barend F. N. Erasmus; Edward Mwavu. 2013. "The Impacts of Changes in Land Use on Woodlands in an Equatorial African Savanna." Land Degradation & Development 26, no. 7: 632-641.
Edward N. Mwavu; Edward T.F. Witkowski. Seedling regeneration, environment and management in a semi-deciduous African tropical rain forest. Journal of Vegetation Science 2009, 20, 791 -804.
AMA StyleEdward N. Mwavu, Edward T.F. Witkowski. Seedling regeneration, environment and management in a semi-deciduous African tropical rain forest. Journal of Vegetation Science. 2009; 20 (5):791-804.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEdward N. Mwavu; Edward T.F. Witkowski. 2009. "Seedling regeneration, environment and management in a semi-deciduous African tropical rain forest." Journal of Vegetation Science 20, no. 5: 791-804.
Edward Mwavu; Edward Witkowski. Population structure and regeneration of multiple-use tree species in a semi-deciduous African tropical rainforest: Implications for primate conservation. Forest Ecology and Management 2009, 258, 840 -849.
AMA StyleEdward Mwavu, Edward Witkowski. Population structure and regeneration of multiple-use tree species in a semi-deciduous African tropical rainforest: Implications for primate conservation. Forest Ecology and Management. 2009; 258 (5):840-849.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEdward Mwavu; Edward Witkowski. 2009. "Population structure and regeneration of multiple-use tree species in a semi-deciduous African tropical rainforest: Implications for primate conservation." Forest Ecology and Management 258, no. 5: 840-849.