An Approach Towards Mesquite Management in Kassala State

Abstract

Mesquite has received increased attention at public and social levels. It is perceived as useful in its contribution in forest products and environmental concern. Mesquite is an invader to agricultural and range lands. It spreads erratically in agricultural fields, and on neglected and left over agricultural lands, range land, along river banks and tributaries and in urban sites. The principal aim of the study is to evaluate the perception of local communities towards using mesquite products as compared to indigenous species. The study investigated the main factors affecting mesquite spread and reviews the state of knowledge about the extent of mesquite invasion in forest reserves in Kassala State in eastern Sudan. The aim was also to provide guidelines for management and control of mesquite and to assess the impact of education level on people perception towards trees and tree products. In a cross-sectional survey, a total of 431 farmers were interviewed using several data collection methods including interviews, informal discussions and questionnaires. Previous inventories and surveys were based on ground and aerial techniques. Cross tabulations of selected variables were created as a support to fulfill tests of significant internal differences between different variables among different categories of respondents. Chi-square tests were used to disaffiliate aspects related to local understanding and external influences. In the present study, 24 cross tabulated actions were tested by chi-square to provide in numerical figures the level of similarities or differences between categories of users. A summary of the chi-square tests values were arranged in ascending order ranging from chi-square value of 9.436 to chi-square value of 245.55. An attempt was made to elucidate the socio-economic factors, to evaluate the attitude of local communities towards mesquite eradication and replacement. The results of the study revealed that mesquite provides benefits but also causes v problems. According to the perception of the respondents, mesquite provides a wide range of products and services to local communities that make the species valuable and shows potential for multi purpose uses in many aspects. It provides timber, fuel wood, charcoal, fodder, food, income and many benefits. On the other hand, mesquite has in a number of cases negatively impacted traditional land uses and is becoming a problem on agricultural lands. The study indicated that educated people are more supporting to mesquite eradication than the illiterate. The association of educated people with extension media is higher than the possibility for people having low education level. Consequently educated people may have better understanding about the negative impacts of mesquite on agricultural lands, thus they support mesquite eradication. Low educated people are to some degree reliant on mesquite wood for livelihood support. The study concluded that, mesquite invaded valuable agricultural lands and sometimes grows into impenetrable thickets causing enormous problems to farmers and agricultural managers. For this main reason, mesquite eradication is supported by the major sectors of the public and societies.