1 Adoption, Profitability, Impacts and Scaling-Up of Agroforestry ...

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20(SCAFE) in Zambia, Malawi Agroforestry and Extension (MAFE) and the EasternProvince Development Women Association (EPDWA). These were complemented byinterests in agroforestry technology through organizations such as Plan Zambia andKehitysyhteistyon Palvelukeskus (KEPA), a Finnish-based Service Centre forDevelopment Cooperation. In partnership with ICRAF, these institutions assisted inreaching a nucleus of farmers through direct training and provision of initial tree seed tofarmers. The period coincided with the increasing emphasis by ICRAF on developmentprograms aimed at accelerating the scaling up/out agroforestry technologies trees amongfarmers in the sub-region. Second, in the development of agroforestry technologies insouthern Africa region, a constructivist approach was actively encouraged, i.e. farmerswere encouraged to try the technologies, then modify and re-adapt them based on theirexperiences and desires to make them more acceptable to their circumstances. Third,some private sector organizations found a niche in agroforestry to fulfill their goal for aresponsible corporate citizenship by being responsive to the environmental and naturalresource implications of their activities. Among these are tobacco companies who aretraining their contract farmers on the use of poles from fertilizer tree species to makesheds for curing tobacco to avoid further deforestation associated with tobacco curingoperations.5.3 Constraints to the scaling up of agroforestryA recent global review of the adoption of agroforestry show that the level of diffusion ofsuch agroforestry technologies has generally lagged behind scientific and technologicaladvances attained in such technologies thereby, reducing their potential impacts (Mercer2004). The experience with regards to the adoption of agroforestry technologies in
21southern Africa has not been too different from the global trend. Although agroforestry isfinancially profitable and there has been an increasing trend in the uptake of thetechnologies by farmers, the widespread adoption of agroforestry technologies by manymore smallholder farmers is nonetheless constrained by several challenges such as localcustoms, institutions and policies at the national level. Some of the constraints arehighlighted below:Local and national policies: some local customary practices and institutions prevailingin the sub-region (especially incidence of bush fires and browsing by livestock during thedry season, and absence of perennial private right over land) limits the widespread uptakeof some agroforestry technologies. The animals destroy the trees after planting either bybrowsing the leaves and removing the biomass or by physically trampling over the plants.Community’s institutional regulations for fruit collection, land and tree tenure all affectindividual farmer’s decision to invest in establishing an indigenous fruit tree orchard.However, agroforestry institutions have been working in collaboration with traditionalrulers, government officials, community-based organizations, NGOs, and nationalpartners to resolve these institutional bottlenecks (Ajayi and Kwesiga, 2003).Training: Agroforestry technologies are generally incipient technologies and relativelynew phenomenon compared with conventional agricultural practices that farmers haveknown, been used to and have received training for a much longer period. Unlike annualcrop production technologies and conventional soil fertility management options,fertilizer trees systems require skills in terms of management of the trees. Capacity fordoing this need be built at the national level. The costs of providing information greatly
Page 1 and 2: 1Adoption, Profitability, Impacts a
Page 3 and 4: 31.0 IntroductionDue to a mix of ag
Page 5 and 6: 52.1 “Fertilizer tree systems”T
Page 7 and 8: 7estimated that yield of 3 t/ha of
Page 9 and 10: 92.5 Fodder banks:This involves the
Page 11 and 12: 11adoption of agroforestry; why do
Page 13 and 14: 13technologies from the perspective
Page 15 and 16: 15sesban fallow fields, an extra 1.
Page 17 and 18: 17National Agroforestry Steering Co
Page 19: 195.2 Number of farmers reached thr
Page 23 and 24: 23development work on agroforestry
Page 25 and 26: 25to which farmers are able to sour
Page 27 and 28: 27take-off point, and have provided
Page 29 and 30: 29technologies, access to roads and
Page 31 and 32: 31comparisons of the results diffic
Page 33 and 34: 33Bekunda M.A., A. Bationo and H. S
Page 35 and 36: 35Kwesiga, F., Akinnifesi, F.K., Ma
Page 37: 37Thangata, P.H. and J.R.R. Alavala

1 Adoption, Profitability, Impacts and Scaling-Up of Agroforestry ...

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