The impact of agroforestry practice on forest conservation and community livelihood improvement: A case of Buno Bedele Zone of west Ethiopia'S Chora district

This study aimed to evaluate how agroforestry practices affected community livelihoods and forest preservation in the Chora district, Buno Bedele Zone of western Ethiopia. The study's methodology was cross-sectional research. Three farmer villages, Sokolo, Baja, and Hawayemobir, were randomly selected based on their agroforestry practices. For the interview, a group of 15 key informants was formed. Both primary and secondary data sources were used for data collection. Microsoft Excel 2010 and statistical software for social science (SPSS) version 26.0 were used to analyze the data. The average age of the inhabitants in the research region was 44.09 years, the average family size was 4.60, they had a low level of education, and the average size of the farmland was 3.2194 ha. The use of agroforestry for shade, fuel wood, and income significantly varies based on education level, occupation, and the size of the family and land (p < 0.05). The average yearly income from agroforestry is 24,742.09 ETB, and it ranges from 8000 to 50,000 ETB. The products and services obtained from agroforestry practices were fuel wood at 82.4%, construction materials at 62.9%, fodder at 62.9%, medicine at 57.2%, income at 82.4%, and shade/shelter at 82.4% in the study area. Community perception of the study area revealed that 55.76% strongly agreed, 35.97% agreed, 6.83% neutral, and 1.44% were not agreed with the role of agroforestry practices on biological conservation. The current finding pointed out that agroforestry practice plays a significant role in community livelihood enhancement and natural forest conservation in the study area. Therefore, all concerned bodies should give considerable attention to agroforestry development sustainably.