Trees on the farm: assessing the adoption potential of agroforestry practices in Africa

This is a book that pushes forwards the emerging science of agroforestry. There are several syntheses on the biophysical aspects of agroforestry but little is available on the socioeconomics of agroforestry and its adoption by farmers, following rigorous scientific methods. This book fills such a gap by assessing the adoption potential of selected agroforestry practices, describing the appropriate methodologies and drawing lessons for improving the effectiveness of the research–development continuum. Five case studies are described and analysed in this book. Four of them are successful and one – hedgerow intercropping – was promoted before a rigorous biophysical assessment was made. This book demonstrates how farmers in selected areas have tested and adapted these practices, incorporated them into their farming systems and improved their welfare and incomes. It also provides examples of scaling up within the areas where testing took place: farmer-to-farmer dissemination, partnerships among researchers, extension services, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to promote scaling up. The key finding was that agroforestry reduces the risks that farmers face from input markets by investing small amounts of land and labour, rather than spending cash on expensive inputs, for improving soil fertility, feeding their livestock, or providing wood for fuel and construction. There were also important methodological lessons, that add further value to this book. The authors should be congratulated for advancing the science of agroforestry.

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