Market-oriented agroforestry…where does it take us A group of 49 interested people from diverse sectors met in Kisumu, Western Kenya for two and a half days sharing experiences, ideas and demonstrating products and technologies. The group consisted of representatives of the private sector, organizations involved in marketing of wood and agroforestry products, government officials and researchers. The major goal of the workshop was to learn about demand for agroforestry products. Agroforestry system and technology development tends to be driven by interests in improving productivity. In many cases, we find that farmers produce more but are unable to market what they produce. They have not been well informed about market demand, including price, quality, seasonality or market opportunities. In other cases, farmers may be informed but not organized to meet the demand. Market demand changes all the time as well—liberalization of markets, shifting policies, changing tastes and the economic conditions of consumers all affect demand. Extension efforts have not kept pace with market realities. Other objectives of the workshop including fostering links between farmers, private sector and researchers, and coming up with ideas for how to integrate market information into extension materials.
Publication year
2002
Authors
Language
English
Keywords
agroforestry, technology, wood products, non-wood forest products, trees, marketing
Geographic
Kenya
