In light of the large number of empirical studies of agroforestry adoption published during the last decade, we believe it is time to take stock and identify general determinants of agroforestry adoption. In reviewing 120 articles on adoption of agricultural and forestry technology by small holders, we find five categories of factors that explain technology adoption within an economic framework: preferences, resource endowments, market incentives, biophysical factors, and risk and uncertainty. By selecting only empirical analyses that focus on agroforestry and related investments, we narrow our list down to 32 studies primarily from tropical areas. We apply vote-counting based meta-analysis to these studies and evaluate the inclusion and significance of the five adoption factors. Our analysis shows that preferences and resource endowments are the factors most often included in studies. However, adoption behavior is most likely to be significantly influenced by risk, biophysical, and resource factors. In our conclusion, we discuss specific recommendations for the next generation of adoption studies and meta-analyses that include considering a fuller menu of variables, reporting key statistics and marginal probabilities, and conducting weighted meta-regressions.

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Taking stock of agroforestry adoption studies

Despite the great potential of agricultural innovations, the uptake by smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa seems to be slow. We reviewed existing theories and frameworks for the uptake of agricultural innovations and found that these tend to emphasize the role of extrinsic factors such as the characteristics of the adopter and the external environment in the decision-making process. In this paper, we argue that intrinsic factors such as the knowledge, perceptions and attitudes of the potential adopter towards the innovation play a key role, but this has been less studied. We present an analytical framework that combines both extrinsic and intrinsic factors in farmers' decisions to adopt new agricultural technologies and apply the framework to agroforestry adoption as a case study. We review the literature on agroforestry adoption in sub-Saharan Africa and identify the extrinsic and intrinsic variables affecting the uptake of agroforestry technologies. We conclude that the uptake of agricultural tech...

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14735903.2014.912493

The role of knowledge, attitudes and perceptions in the uptake of agricultural and agroforestry innovations among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa

Paying for Environmental Services: An Analysis of Participation in Costa Rica’s PSA Program

This article challenges the pervasive view that commercialisation of non-timber forest products can (easily) achieve ecosystem and species conservation as well as improving livelihoods. Following a brief review of who and what is involved, it focuses on the main ecological and livelihood risks of unconsidered promotion of NTFP commercialisation, drawing on a wide range of case studies from around the world. It concludes with some recommendations, emphasising the lack of ‘magic-bullet’ products, and the importance - among other things - of not ignoring national policy, taking an integrated view of the value chain, considering the implications of different production options, and improving both quality and quantity.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/dpr_374.pdf?abstractid=984706&mirid=1&type=2

Commercialisation of non-timber forest products: A reality check

Assessing farmer use of climate change adaptation practices and impacts on food security and poverty in Pakistan

http://directory.umm.ac.id/Data%20Elmu/jurnal/A/Agriculture,%20Ecosystems%20and%20Environment/Vol80.Issue3.Sept2000/1581.pdf

Econometric analysis of the determinants of adoption of alley farming by farmers in the forest zone of southwest Cameroon

Dacryodes edulis, or safou, is a fruit tree native to Central Africa and the Gulf of Guinea region. It is usually present in agroforestry systems in the region, particularly in homegardens and cocoa and coffee agroforests. It plays an important role in household consumption and the surplus is sold on the rural and urban market. A lack of attention by research and extension services means that there is neither scientific knowledge nor official recommendations for its management in agroforestry systems. The attempt to introduce it into forest fallows in Cote d'Ivoire is a good example of industrial involvement in the development of agroforestry and the expansion of tree production in West Africa. Drawing on experience from Cameroon, Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire, this paper presents indigenous management techniques and emerging opportunities to promote safou in West and Central African agroforestry systems for food security, income generation and rehabilitation of the environment.

Dacryodes edulis, a neglected non-timber forest species for the agroforestry systems of west and central africa

Cet article analyse la consommation de differents combustibles dans les menages urbains et montre la place du bois de feu comme source d'energie. L'etude est fondee sur une enquete menee en 1996 aupres de 400 menages des villes de Yaounde, Mbalmayo et Ebolowa. Les resultats obtenus confirment la place importante du bois de feu sous ses differentes formes comme source d'energie en zones urbaines. De plus, l'analyse spatiale montre que lorsqu'on se deplace des villes a forte densite de population vers les villes moins densement peuplees, la consommation du bois gagne en importance. En revanche, les combustibles « modernes » (petrole, gaz) ont une evolution contraire. L'analyse econometrique a travers l'estimation des courbes d'Engel a permis d'evaluer les elasticites revenu de la demande pour les differents combustibles dans les menages urbains. Ces elasticites ont montre que, contrairement aux combustibles « modernes » que sont le petrole et le gaz qui sont des biens normaux, les combustibles a base de bois (bois, charbon, sciure) sont des biens inferieurs qui diminuent lorsque le revenu augmente.

Analyse economique de la consommation du bois de feu en regions forestieres: lecons des zones urbaines camerounaises

Adaptations of cocoa and coffee farmers communities in the heart of remnant pristine forest of east Cameroon to institutional changes

The aim of this paper is to determine the characteristics and preferences of cocoa farmers in the humid forest zone of Cameroon who are actively diversifying their cocoa agroforests by planting Dacryodes edulis. A survey conducted amongst 300 farmers revealed that about 80 percent of them grow Dacryodes edulis in cocoa agroforests. More than half of them have completed primary school, half belong to farmer associations and only 10 percent have contact with extension services. This demonstrates the independent initiative of farmers to grow Dacryodes edulis and underlines the importance of capturing their knowledge and experience in integrating this fruit tree into cocoa agroforests. The number of cocoa agroforests per farmer decreases as one moves from a more forested area to one where pressure on land is greater. Dacryodes edulis is frequently associated with other planted fruit trees. However, in areas of higher land pressure it is often also planted together with other tree species. Overall, 47 percent of farmers plant at least 4 fruit trees and 38 percent at least 4 other tree species in their cocoa agroforests besides Dacryodes edulis. The interest in Dacryodes edulis does not prevent farmers from diversifying their tree stock within the cocoa agroforests. Dacryodes edulis complements other trees in addressing the need of farmers.

Domestication dans les cacaoyères de la zone de forêt humide du Sud-Cameroun: caractéristiques et préférences des cacaoculteurs pratiquant l’arboriculture de Dacryodes edulis

Dominique Endamana

Papers

Econometric analysis of the determinants of adoption of alley farming by farmers in the forest zone of southwest Cameroon

Dacryodes edulis, a neglected non-timber forest species for the agroforestry systems of west and central africa

Analyse economique de la consommation du bois de feu en regions forestieres: lecons des zones urbaines camerounaises

Adaptations of cocoa and coffee farmers communities in the heart of remnant pristine forest of east Cameroon to institutional changes

Domestication dans les cacaoyères de la zone de forêt humide du Sud-Cameroun: caractéristiques et préférences des cacaoculteurs pratiquant l’arboriculture de Dacryodes edulis