The present study was carried out in 2014 in Rombo District, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, in
order to classify Chagga agroforestry homegardens and establish their relative
contributions to food, income and wood energy to the local communities. The study
methodology included random selection of four divisions, one ward from each division,
one village from each ward and 30 households per village forming a total sample of 120
households. A social survey was subsequently carried out using questionnaires employed
to household heads and checklists of probe questions for key informants. Data were
analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0 and
Microsoft Excel Programs. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was performed to compare
means between and within treatments and the Least Significant Difference (LSD) was
used to separate the significantly differing means. Results indicated that all five
renewable natural resource components of woody perennials, herbaceous crops, animals,
insects and aquatic life-forms were present in the Chagga agroforestry homegardens
which were in various interactions broadly classified into nine agroforestry systems with
the Agrosilvopastoral system being the most widely spread and the Agroaquosilvicultural,
Agroaquosilvopastoral, Aposilvopastoral and Silvopastoral systems being, in that order,
the least spread throughout the district. Spatial arrangements of components were the
most common arrangement forming agroforestry technologies like boundary planting,
mixed intercropping and live fences. The Chagga agroforestry homegardens were the
major sources of food, income and wood energy for the community contributing about
95%, 86% and 73% respectively. Lack of extension services, pests and diseases and land
shortages are the main constraints in the Chagga agroforestry homegardens. Government
support in recruiting and training more extension officers to train farmers in appropriate
farming technologies and ready availability of improved tree and crop seeds are the main
recommended measures for improving the agroforestry homegardens in Rombo District.