Evaluation of Agroforestry Systems for Soil Conservation and Productivity Improvement in Kogi State

This study evaluates the soil conservation performance and crop productivity effects of agroforestry systems in Kogi State, North Central Nigeria. Agroforestry, the deliberate integration of trees with crop and livestock systems, provides a multi-functional land use approach that simultaneously improves soil organic matter, reduces erosion, and enhances crop productivity through nitrogen fixation and microclimate moderation. In Kogi State, where soil degradation from erosion and nutrient depletion threatens agricultural sustainability, agroforestry presents a promising integrated conservation and productivity strategy. This study uses a replicated field plot design established at three sites in Lokoja, Kabba, and Ankpa local government areas, comparing leucaena alley cropping, Faidherbia albida parkland, and multipurpose windbreak configurations against a monocrop control. Soil bulk density, organic carbon, available nitrogen, infiltration rate, and maize yield are measured over two cropping seasons. Erosion measurements use erosion pins and bounded runoff plots. Findings reveal that leucaena alley cropping reduces measured soil erosion by 54 percent and increases maize yield by 31 percent compared to the monocrop control after two seasons. Faidherbia albida shows the strongest soil organic carbon improvement. Windbreaks significantly reduce wind erosion at the more exposed Lokoja site. The study concludes that agroforestry systems generate significant soil conservation and productivity benefits in Kogi State farming conditions. It recommends leucaena alley cropping as the priority agroforestry system for state-level extension promotion.

Keywords: agroforestry, soil conservation, Kogi State, alley cropping, crop productivity.