ADOPTION OF AGROFORESTRY TECHNOLOGIES AND THE WELFARE OF ARABICA COFFEE FARMERS IN BUKHURA PARISH, BUDUDA DISTRICT, EASTERN UGANDA

Abstract

Due to the declining productivity of coffee farms in many regions, there has always been a growing interest in agroforestry technologies as a way to improve the fertility of the soil, increase crop diversity, and provide other income sources to farmers. Much as there had been successful cases of agroforestry adoption in the study area, there was still limited evidence on the impact of these technologies on coffee farmer’s welfare. A study was conducted to assess the socio economic factors influencing the adoption of agroforestry practices and the welfare of the coffee farmers in Bukhura parish, Bumasheti Sub County, Bududa district. The findings REVEALED that the majority (80%) of the farmers practiced agroforestry in their gardens, of which they grew shade-providing trees such as Ficusnatalensis in coffee gardens is an important practice for the wellbeing of the coffee. The regression results indicate that the use of agroforestry techniques had a significant positive impact on the income generated from the coffee by the farmers. However, other factors; distance from the nearest coffee market and form of coffee sold also had a significant impact on the income generated from the coffee. The results also showed that access to credit, access to extension services and farming experience were found to have significant influence on the adoption of agroforestry practices among the coffee farmers in the study area. The key conclusions from the study are that credit facilities and extension services are key issues in promoting agroforestry among coffee farmers, and there is need to encourage coffee farmers to practice agroforestry since it had a positively significant impact on their incomes