Abstract
Agroforestry greatly helps to improve production by creating the right conditions for other components of the production system and also creates other income streams and benefits. Agroforestry also creates an alternative source of forest derived products and thus help reduce forest destruction. The development of agroforestry in Africa has not been very successful due to poor understanding of the underlying socio-economic factors underpinning the adoption in specific local contexts, including adjacent forest communities. This hinders proper decision making hence ineffective management of agroforestry practices. This is especially the case for Ndabibi Location an area marked by low farm production including degradation of the adjacent Eburru Forest. This study, therefore, aimed to analyze the socio-economic factors affecting agroforestry adoption in Ndabibi Location, a forest adjacent community. This study used a descriptive study design and systematic sampling design. The study used primary and secondary data where primary data was collected using a household questionnaire survey, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and observations. The study found socio-economic factors either have positive or negative relationships with agroforestry adoption. The factors that have a positive relationship with agroforestry practice include age, household size, formal education level, contact with extension services, membership to community-based associations and income levels. Gender, land size and forest dependency were found to have a negative relationship with the adoption of agroforestry practice. Understanding of the socio-economic factors underlying and thus affecting adoption of agroforestry adoption in Ndabibi Location will help communities, policymakers and practitioners to make the right planning and management decisions towards the promotion of agroforestry practice in forest adjacent communities. This shall increase the production, livelihoods and income sources diversification hence leading to the sustainable management of forest ecosystems.
Highlights
Agroforestry is the practice of deliberately growing trees integrated with other components including livestock and crops on the same landscape (Sanchez, 1995)
The adoption of agroforestry is usually subject to various underlying socioeconomic whose influence is context-specific. Understanding of these factors is key for communities, policymakers and practitioners since it will enable them to make the right planning and management decisions in efforts geared towards promoting adoption and performance of agroforestry practices
This will result in increased adoption and greater success of agroforestry practice leading to increased production, livelihoods diversification and improved livelihoods
Summary
Agroforestry is the practice of deliberately growing trees integrated with other components including livestock and crops on the same landscape (Sanchez, 1995). Farmers integrated trees into farming systems to support agricultural with the ultimate aim of enhancing food production. Modern agroforestry started in 1971 based on the premise that associations of crops, trees and livestock could contribute significantly to and simultaneously optimize both agricultural and forestry production (Schroeder, 1999). Based on this premise, the practice of agroforestry, employs various systems based on the combination of several components (Nair, 1989). ICRAF (1994) classifies agroforestry based on the temporal occurrence of components including sequential and simultaneous
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