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Book ChapterDOI

Adoption of agroforestry innovations in the tropics: A review

01 Jul 2004-Agroforestry Systems (Springer, Dordrecht)-Vol. 61, Iss: 1, pp 311-328
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reviewed the theoretical and empirical literature that has developed during the past decade analyzing agroforestry adoption from a variety of perspectives and identified needed future research.
Abstract: The period since the early 1990s has witnessed an explosion of research on the adoption of agroforestry innovations in the tropics. Much of this work was motivated by a perceived gap between advances in agroforestry science and the success of agroforestry-based development programs and projects. Achieving the full promise of agroforestry requires a fundamental understanding of how and why farmers make long-term land-use decisions and applying this knowledge to the design, development, and ‘marketing’ of agroforestry innovations. This paper reviews the theoretical and empirical literature that has developed during the past decade analyzing agroforestry adoption from a variety of perspectives and identifies needed future research. Much progress has been made, especially in using binary choice regression models to assess influences of farm and household characteristics on adoption and in developing ex-ante participatory, on-farm research methods for analyzing the potential adoptability of agroforestry innovations. Additional research-needs that have been identified include developing a better understanding of the role of risk and uncertainty, insights into how and why farmers adapt and modify adopted systems, factors influencing the intensity of adoption, village-level and spatial analyses of adoption, the impacts of disease such as AIDS and malaria on adoption, and the temporal path of adoption.

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Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors found that the size of the farm owned by a household, the value of its livestock, off-farm income, family labor supply, and the educational attainment and gender of the household head all had a significant positive effect on the likelihood of adoption.

488 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors 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.
Abstract: 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...

474 citations


Cites background from "Adoption of agroforestry innovation..."

  • ...A large body of the literature on the variables influencing the adoption of agroforestry practices exists, with a real explosion of research since the early 1990s (Mercer 2004)....

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  • ...The diffusion of innovations theory has guided many studies that try to understand the uptake of new agricultural technologies and it has been applied in the development of farmer decision-making models in the tropics (Mercer 2004, Edwards-Jones 2006, Pannell et al. 2006, Reed 2007)....

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  • ...Theoretical and empirical literatures have shown that risk and uncertainty play an important role in the adoption of new agricultural technologies (Marra et al. 2003, Mercer 2004)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a review based on studies investigating the limited adoption of precision agricultural technologies (PATs) in experienced countries, extrapolating their findings to explain why farmers have or have not adopted PATs.
Abstract: Increasing pressure for food security and sustainability as well as a need to halt environmental degradation has focused attention on increasing the efficient use of farm resources One answer to aspects of that problem is the use of precision agricultural technologies (PATs) To facilitate their adoption, initiatives have been fostered in developed countries since the 1980s Despite a low rate of adoption elsewhere, similar efforts in recent years have been initiated in developing countries Given this, understanding those underlying factors that influence the adoption of PATs is vital It is timely to review these factors and to draw policy implications from that review for future actions This review, based on studies investigating the limited adoption of PATs in ‘experienced’ countries, extrapolates their findings to explain why farmers have or have not adopted PATs At the same time, this review summarizes the key insights for more effectively targeting ‘new’ followers: eg it provides some answers to the question of who is more likely to adopt PATs Additionally, the review points to the limitations of current research in the area and suggests a robust economic model or multidisciplinary approach be adopted for future investigation

302 citations


Cites background from "Adoption of agroforestry innovation..."

  • ...Some of these findings have been reviewed, e.g. Pattanayak et al. (2003) and Mercer (2004) on agroforestry innovations; Fleming and Vanclay (2010) on climate change adoptive measures, and Knowler and Bradshaw (2007) on conservation practices....

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01 Jan 2018
TL;DR: The feasibility of mitigation and adaptation options, and the enabling conditions for strengthening and implementing the systemic changes, are assessed in this article, where the authors consider the global response to warming of 1.5oC comprises transitions in land and ecosystem, energy, urban and infrastructure, and industrial systems.
Abstract: The global response to warming of 1.5oC comprises transitions in land and ecosystem, energy, urban and infrastructure, and industrial systems. The feasibility of mitigation and adaptation options, and the enabling conditions for strengthening and implementing the systemic changes, are assessed in this chapter.

272 citations


Cites background from "Adoption of agroforestry innovation..."

  • ...…the time and knowledge required for management, low intermediate benefits to offset revenue lags, and inadequate market access (Pattanayak et al., 2003; Mercer, 2004; Sendzimir et al., 2011; Valdivia et al., 2012; Coe et al., 2014; Meijer et al., 2015; Coulibaly et al., 2017; Jacobi et al., 2017)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the major interactions between the transformation of swidden farming and the pursuit of rural livelihoods in the uplands of Southeast Asia are explored, drawing on selected literature, workshop reflections, and six case studies.
Abstract: This paper explores the major interactions between the transformation of swidden farming and the pursuit of rural livelihoods in the uplands of Southeast Asia. The paper draws on selected literature, workshop reflections, and six case studies to describe the causal processes and livelihood consequences of swidden change. Household-level livelihood responses have included both the intensification and ‘dis-intensification’ of swidden land-use, the insertion of cash crops, the redeployment of household labour, and the taking on of broader (often non-rural) livelihood aspirations and strategies. At the community level there have been emerging institutional arrangements for management of land and forests, and varying degrees of participation in or resistance to government schemes and programs. Swidden change has led to the loss and also the reassertion, realignment, and redefinition of cultures and identities, with important implications for access to resources. The impacts of these changes have been varied. Cash crops have often improved livelihoods but complete specialisation for the market increases vulnerability. Thus swidden can still provide an important safety net in the face of market fluctuations. Improved access to markets and social provision of education and health care have mostly improved the welfare of previously isolated groups. However, growing differences within and between communities in the course of swidden transformations can leave some groups marginalized and worse off. These processes of differentiation can be accentuated by heavy-handed state interventions based on swidden stereotypes. Nevertheless, communities have not passively accepted these pressures and have mobilized to protect their livelihood assets and strategies. Thus swidden farmers are not resisting appropriate and supportive forms of development. They are adopting new practices and engaging with markets, but in many situations swidden is still important to their livelihood strategies, providing resilience in the face of turbulent change. Active involvement of local people is essential in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating development and conservation programs in swidden lands. Positive market incentives and supportive government policies are better than standardised, top-down directives.

245 citations


Cites background from "Adoption of agroforestry innovation..."

  • ...Mercer (2004) reviews evidence of such adoption pathways for a variety of agroforestry practices and settings....

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References
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Journal ArticleDOI

18,643 citations

Book
01 Jan 1951
TL;DR: Saari as mentioned in this paper introduced Arrow's Theorem and founded the field of social choice theory in economics and political science, and introduced a new foreword by Nobel laureate Eric Maskin, introducing Arrow's seminal book to a new generation of students and researchers.
Abstract: Originally published in 1951, Social Choice and Individual Values introduced "Arrow's Impossibility Theorem" and founded the field of social choice theory in economics and political science. This new edition, including a new foreword by Nobel laureate Eric Maskin, reintroduces Arrow's seminal book to a new generation of students and researchers. "Far beyond a classic, this small book unleashed the ongoing explosion of interest in social choice and voting theory. A half-century later, the book remains full of profound insight: its central message, 'Arrow's Theorem,' has changed the way we think."-Donald G. Saari, author of Decisions and Elections: Explaining the Unexpected

8,219 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a destination search and find the appropriate manuals for their products, providing you with many Social Choice And Individual Values. You can find the manual you are interested in in printed form or even consider it online.
Abstract: If you want to have a destination search and find the appropriate manuals for your products, you can visit this website providing you with many Social Choice And Individual Values. You can find the manual you are interested in in printed form or even consider it online.

4,510 citations


"Adoption of agroforestry innovation..." refers methods in this paper

  • ...Arrow (1963) referred to decision tree models as ‘choice function(s) not built up from orderings....

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  • ...Arrow (1963) referred to decision tree models as ‘choice function(s) not built up from orderings.’...

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Book
01 Jan 1965
TL;DR: In this paper, Boserup argues that changes and improvements occur from within agricultural communities, and that improvements are governed not simply by external interference, but by those communities themselves using extensive analyses of the costs and productivity of the main systems of traditional agriculture.
Abstract: This book sets out to investigate the process of agrarian change from new angles and with new results. It starts on firm ground rather than from abstract economic theory. Upon its initial appearance, it was heralded as "a small masterpiece, which economic historians should read--and not simply quote"--Giovanni Frederico, Economic History Services. The Conditions of Agricultural Growth remains a breakthrough in the theory of agricultural development. In linking ethnography with economy, developmental studies reached new heights. Whereas "development" had been seen previously as the transformation of traditional communities by the introduction (or imposition) of new technologies, Ester Boserup argues that changes and improvements occur from within agricultural communities, and that improvements are governed not simply by external interference, but by those communities themselves Using extensive analyses of the costs and productivity of the main systems of traditional agriculture, Ester Boserup concludes that technical, economic, and social changes are unlikely to take place unless the community concerned is exposed to the pressure of population growth.

3,639 citations

31 Jan 1982
TL;DR: This article reviewed various studies which have provided a description of and possible explanation to patterns of innovation adoption in the agricultural sector and highlighted the diversity in observed patterns among various farmers' classes as well as differences in results from different studies in different socioeconomic environments.
Abstract: This paper is a revised version of Staff Working Paper 444 It reviews various studies which have provided a description of and possible explanation to patterns of innovation adoption in the agricultural sector It therefore covers both empirical and theoretical studies The discussion highlights the diversity in observed patterns among various farmers' classes as well as differences in results from different studies in different socio-economic environments, and reviews the attempts to rationalize such findings Special attention is given to the methodologies which are commonly used in studies of innovation adoption, and suggestions for improvements of such work through the use of appropriate economometric methods are provided The diversity of experiences with different innovations in different geographical and socio-cultural environments suggest that studies of adoption patterns should provide detailed information on attributes of the institutional, social and cultural setting and their interactions with economic factors These may be an important element in explaining conflicting experiences

3,145 citations