ECONOMIC-FACTORS IN FARMER ADOPTION OF AGROFORESTRY - PATTERNS OBSERVED IN WESTERN KENYA

A study of agroforestry adoption by 3,000 project participants in Siay a and South Nyanza Districts in Kenya supports three hypotheses. (1) H istorical increases in tree domestication and management intensity are responses to declining supply of uncultivated tree resources, increas ed subsistence and commercial demand for tree products, and perceived risks of ecological degradation. Adoption of agroforestry is most like ly where consistent with economic incentives for land use change. (2) High variability in individual farmers' tree-growing strategies reflec ts differences in resources and livelihood strategies, and household-l evel returns to agroforestry relative to alternative options for meeti ng specific objectives. (3) Farmers reduce risks associated with new a groforestry practices through incremental adoption and adaptation, and cost- and risk-reducing modifications in technology design.