| dc.description.abstract | Agroforestry is commonly defined as the deliberate integration of trees with agricultural crops and/or livestock either simultaneously or sequentially on the same unit of land (Alavalapati and Mecer 2004). Though agroforestry is an age old practice, it has continuouslybeen proposed as one of the sustainable environment models.
Agroforestry had been promoted widely in Shibuye Location due to its vicinity to the KakamegaForest. However, there was a realization that though agroforestry was widely promoted in the area, there were varying degrees of adoption with intensive practices and non-intensive practices.
The objective of this study was therefore to determine the socio-economic factors which influenced agroforestry adoption intensity among small holder farmers in Shibuye Locationin Kakamega-East District.
The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and the data obtainedwas analyzed by using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Descriptive
.statistics and logistic regression models were used in presenting the findings of the
study.
The study found out that, agroforestry adoption intensity was influenced by a number of factors including age, education level, off-farm income, the problems experienced by the farmer and the sub-location of the farmer. Other factors found to influence agroforestry adoption included, the size of land and the presence of extension services. The study concluded that, age influenced other factors such as land ownership and land use decisions. It also concluded that education level was important in skill application, calculationof long term benefits as well as a source of employment which could provide
necessary income for investment in agroforestry. Off-farm income, on the other hand, significantly influenced agroforestry adoption intensity as farmers who had more off farm income could afford the necessary inputs such as seedlings, fertilizers, planting tubes and pesticides. Off-farm income was also found to influence farmers' choices as those who had off-farm income chose to keep off from intensive agroforestry practice. Problems that farmers experienced also influenced adoption intensity as they demotivated farmers to venture into intensive agroforesty. The sub-location also influenced adoption intensity, as sub-locations near the forest benefited from community forestry intergrated programmes.
Although majority of the people in Shibuye location had 3 acres of land and below, it was found out that intensive agroforestry adopters tended to have larger and more pieces of land compared to non-intensive adopters. Extension services also benefited intensive agroforestry adopters more than non-intensive adopters
The study recommended that:
There is need to educate farmers on the importance of agroforestry in natural resource management, improve the role of extension officers, come up with more community agroforestry projects, provide farmers with the necessary farm inputs and need for a concrete Agroforestry Policy in the Country. | en |
