Socio-Economic Approach to Agroforestry Practices and Agricultural Development of the Senalba Chergui Forest in Algeria

Abstract

Agroforestry's multifunctionality should be central to sustainable agriculture policies in the Algerian steppe due to its social acceptability, economic profitability, and environmental friendliness. A socio-economic approach to agroforestry practices in the Senalba Chergui forest (W. Djelfa) has enabled us to establish a typology of the agroforestry systems practiced in agricultural farms. The use of the concept of externalities with the Green Dam and internalities among the sub-systems of locally practiced agroforestry demonstrates significant social efforts to build the acceptability of agroforestry. This is a key factor in ensuring environmentally sustainable agriculture that protects soils, preserves biodiversity, enhances the quality of agricultural products, safeguards human health, and promotes local settlement.
A multivariate statistical analysis (AFC) provided an overview of the constraints, perspectives, and agroforestry strategies of the farmers and their farms. Therefore, considering the multifunctionality of agroforestry systems in agricultural policies necessitates the design of decentralized processes as a "sine qua non" condition for the effectiveness of the agroforestry system in the Green Dam and the Algerian steppe.