Compound farms of southeastern Nigeria: A predominant agroforestry homegarden system with crops and small livestock

Compound farms are a homegarden-type of agroforestry system involving the deliberate management of multipurpose trees and shrubs in a multistoried association with agricultural crops and small livestock within the compounds of individual houses. In addition to the advantages of diversified production, risk minimization, improved labour and nutrient use efficiences and soil conservation, compound farms represent germplasm banks containing many of the useful tree/shrub species currently disappearing due to indiscriminate clearing of forest and woodlands.