Abstract
Declining soil fertility and climatic extremes are among major problems for agricultural production in most dryland agro-ecologies of sub-Saharan Africa. In response, the agroforestry technology intercropping of Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.)) and Maize (Zea mays L.) was developed to complement conventional soil fertility management technologies. However, diversified information on the profitability of Gliricidia-Maize intercropping system in dryland areas is scanty. Using data from the Gliricidia and maize models of the Next Generation version of the Agriculture Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM), this study estimates the profitability of the Gliricidia-Maize system relative to an unfertilized sole maize system. Results show significant heterogeneity in profitability indicators both in absolute and relative economic terms. Aggregated over a 20-year cycle, Gliricidia-Maize intercropping exhibited a higher Net Present Value (NPV = Tsh 19,238,798.43) and Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR = 4.27) than the unfertilized sole maize system. The NPV and BCR of the latter were Tsh 10,934,669.90 and 3.59, respectively. Moreover, the returns to labour per person day in the Gliricidia-Maize system was 1.5 times those of the unfertilized sole maize system. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the profitability of the Gliricidia-Maize system is more negatively affected by the decrease in output prices than the increase in input prices. A 30% decrease in the former leads to a decrease in NPV and BCR by 38% and 30%, respectively. Despite the higher initial costs of the agroforestry establishment, the 30% increase in input prices affects more disproportionally unfertilized sole maize than the Gliricidia-Maize system in absolute economic terms, i.e., 11.1% versus 8.8% decrease in NPV. In relative economic terms, an equal magnitude of change in input prices exerts the same effect on the unfertilized sole maize and the Gliricidia-maize systems. This result implies that the monetary benefits accrued after the first year of agroforestry establishment offset the initial investment costs. The Gliricidia-Maize intercropping technology therefore is profitable with time, and it can contribute to increased household income and food security. Helping farmers to overcome initial investment costs and manage agroforestry technologies well to generate additional benefits is critical for the successful scaling of the Gliricidia-Maize intercropping technology in dryland areas of Dodoma, Tanzania.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Profitability indicators varied substantially in absolute and relative terms.
- Taxon
- Gliricidia
Gliricidiae1 - Outcome
- profitability indicatorse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Results show significant heterogeneity in profitability indicators both in absolute and relative economic terms”
e1“Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.)) and Maize (Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Intercropping had a higher 20-year NPV of Tsh 19,238,798.43 versus Tsh 10,934,669.90 for sole maize.
- Taxon
- GliricidiaGliricidiae1
- Treatment
- Gliricidia-Maize intercroppinge0
- Outcome
- Net Present Valuee0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- Tsh 19,238,798.43e0
- Qualifier
- Tsh 10,934,669.90e0
- Comparator
- unfertilized sole maize systeme0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Aggregated over a 20-year cycle, Gliricidia-Maize intercropping exhibited a higher Net Present Value (NPV = Tsh 19,238,798.43) and Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR = 4.27) than the unfertilized sole maize system. The NPV and BCR of the latter were Tsh 10,934,669.90 and 3.59, respectively”
e1“Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.)) and Maize (Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Intercropping had a higher BCR of 4.27 versus 3.59 for sole maize.
- Taxon
- GliricidiaGliricidiae1
- Treatment
- Gliricidia-Maize intercroppinge0
- Outcome
- Benefit Cost Ratioe0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 4.27e0
- Qualifier
- 3.59e0
- Comparator
- unfertilized sole maize systeme0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Aggregated over a 20-year cycle, Gliricidia-Maize intercropping exhibited a higher Net Present Value (NPV = Tsh 19,238,798.43) and Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR = 4.27) than the unfertilized sole maize system. The NPV and BCR of the latter were Tsh 10,934,669.90 and 3.59, respectively”
e1“Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.)) and Maize (Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Returns to labour per person day were 1.5 times sole maize returns.
- Taxon
- GliricidiaGliricidiae1
- Treatment
- Gliricidia-Maize systeme0
- Outcome
- returns to labour per person daye0
- Direction
- 1.5 timese0
- Value
- 1.5 timese0
- Comparator
- unfertilized sole maize systeme0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“returns to labour per person day in the Gliricidia-Maize system was 1.5 times those of the unfertilized sole maize system”
e1“Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.)) and Maize (Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
A 30% output price decrease reduced intercropping NPV by 38%.
- Taxon
- GliricidiaGliricidiae2
- Treatment
- decrease in output pricese1
- Outcome
- NPVe0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Value
- 38%e0
- Qualifier
- 30%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A 30% decrease in the former leads to a decrease in NPV and BCR by 38% and 30%, respectively”
e1“decrease in output prices”
e2“Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.)) and Maize (Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
A 30% output price decrease reduced intercropping BCR by 30%.
- Taxon
- GliricidiaGliricidiae2
- Treatment
- decrease in output pricese1
- Outcome
- BCRe0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Value
- 30%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A 30% decrease in the former leads to a decrease in NPV and BCR by 38% and 30%, respectively”
e1“decrease in output prices”
e2“Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.)) and Maize (Zea mays L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
A 30% input price increase decreased sole maize NPV by 11.1%.
- Treatment
- 30% increase in input pricese0
- Outcome
- NPVe0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Value
- 11.1%e0
- Comparator
- Gliricidia-Maize systeme0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“30% increase in input prices affects more disproportionally unfertilized sole maize than the Gliricidia-Maize system in absolute economic terms, i.e., 11.1% versus 8.8% decrease in NPV”
Claim · model-written summary
A 30% input price increase decreased intercropping NPV by 8.8%.
- Taxon
- GliricidiaGliricidiae1
- Treatment
- 30% increase in input pricese0
- Outcome
- NPVe0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Value
- 8.8%e0
- Comparator
- unfertilized sole maizee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“30% increase in input prices affects more disproportionally unfertilized sole maize than the Gliricidia-Maize system in absolute economic terms, i.e., 11.1% versus 8.8% decrease in NPV”
e1“Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.))”
Claim · model-written summary
Equal input price changes had the same relative economic effect on both systems.
- Taxon
- GliricidiaGliricidiae1
- Treatment
- change in input pricese0
- Outcome
- same effecte0
- Direction
- samee0
- Comparator
- unfertilized sole maizee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“an equal magnitude of change in input prices exerts the same effect on the unfertilized sole maize and the Gliricidia-maize systems”
e1“Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.))”
Claim · model-written summary
Intercropping is judged profitable over time and could increase household income and food security.
- Taxon
- GliricidiaGliricidiae1
- Outcome
- profitable with timee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Gliricidia-Maize intercropping technology therefore is profitable with time, and it can contribute to increased household income and food security”
e1“Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.))”
Claim · model-written summary
Farmers need help with initial investment costs and agroforestry management for scaling.
- Taxon
- GliricidiaGliricidiae1
- Outcome
- Helping farmers to overcome initial investment costs and manage agroforestry technologies well to generate additional benefitse0
- Setting
- Dodoma, Tanzaniae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Helping farmers to overcome initial investment costs and manage agroforestry technologies well to generate additional benefits is critical for the successful scaling of the Gliricidia-Maize intercropping technology in dryland areas of Dodoma, Tanzania”
e1“Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.))”
The same questions in other papers
intercropping · yield · GliricidiaResults agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.