Socioeconomic factors affecting the adoption potential of improved tree fallows in Africa

In many parts of Africa, farmers periodically fallow their land, which is a llowing land to lie idle for one or more seasons primarily to restore its f ertility. This paper assesses the feasibility, profitability, and acceptabi lity of improved tree fallows, which are the deliberate planting of trees o r shrubs in rotation with crops to improve soil fertility. Improved tree fa llows are assessed at different stages of intensification, drawing on farme rs' experiences in three different settings. In extensive systems where lan d is plentiful and existing fallows with natural regeneration of vegetation restore soil fertility (southern Cameroon), farmers have little incentive to invest labor in establishing improved fallows. Where population density is higher and fallow periods are decreasing and farmers perceive a decline in soil fertility (eastern Zambia), improved fallows have great potential. In intensive systems where land is unavailable and cropping is often contin uous (western Kenya), many farmers find it difficult to fallow land. Even h ere, there is scope for introducing improved fallows, especially among farm ers who have off-farm income. Labor constraints and institutional support w ere found to greatly influence the feasibility of improved fallows. In inte nsive systems, low returns to cropping, low base yields, and a high opportu nity cost of labor increase the returns to improved fallows. Principal fact ors associated with acceptability include past perception of soil fertility problems, past use of measures for improving soil fertility, current fallo wing, economic importance of annual cropping, and wealth level. Adoption po tential may be increased by reducing fallow periods, intercropping trees an d crops during the first season, reducing establishment costs, producing hi gher value by-products, and by encouraging farmers to test improved fallows on high-value crops.