Prevalence, economic contribution, and determinants of trees on farms across Sub-Saharan Africa

•National scale evidence on the economic contribution of on-farm trees is lacking.•We use national household survey data on trees on farms reported across five African countries.•> 30% of all rural households reported having trees on their farms.•Trees on farms account for 6% of annual gross income on average for all rural households.•National context and forest proximity were consistent predictors of trees on farms.

Trees on farms are often overlooked in agricultural and natural resource research and policy in Sub-Saharan Africa. This article addresses this gap using data from the Living Standards Measurement Study-Integrated Surveys on Agriculture in five countries: Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. Trees on farms are widespread. On average, almost a third of rural smallholders grow trees. They account for an average of 17% of total annual gross income for tree-growing households and 6% for all rural households. Gender, land and labor endowments, and especially forest proximity and national context are key determinants of on-farm tree adoption and management. These new, national-scale insights on the prevalence, economic contribution and determinants of trees on farms in Africa lay the basis for exploring the interaction of agriculture, on-farm tree cultivation, and forestry to gain a more complete picture of the dynamics of rural livelihoods across the continent and beyond.