Factors influencing adoption of agroforestry among smallholder farmers in Zambia

Gillian Kabwe, Hugh R. Bigsby and Ross Cullen

No 97135, 2009 Conference, August 27-28, 2009, Nelson, New Zealand from New Zealand Agricultural and Resource Economics Society

Abstract: Agroforestry technologies have been extensively researched and introduced to smallholder farmers in Zambia for over two decades. Despite the research and extension effort over this period, not many farmers have adopted these technologies. The purpose of this paper is to determine why agroforestry technologies are not being taken up by examining factors that influence the adoption of agroforestry practices. Based on data obtained from 388 farming households, statistical analysis show an association between adoption of both improved fallows and biomass transfer technologies with knowledge of the technology, availability of seed, and having the appropriate skills. In addition some household characteristics are found to be linked to the incidence of adoption. However, the strength of association between these variables is low, giving an indication that there might be other factors at play limiting agroforestry adoption. It is anticipated that these findings will point to other areas beyond the household and community level that need further exploration in order to understand factors limiting agroforestry adoption.

Keywords: Agricultural and Food Policy; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Crop Production/Industries; Environmental Economics and Policy; Land Economics/Use (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 15
Date: 2009-08
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:nzar09:97135

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.97135

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