Aspirations, ambitions and the adoption of diverse fruit trees

a case study of the livelihood effects in Kenya

authored by

Luzia Deißler, Kai Mausch, Ulrike Grote, Alice Karanja, Stepha McMullin

Abstract

Current food production systems all over the world face numerous challenges. Particularly smallholder farming in sub-Saharan Africa is in substantial need of sustainable solutions. Yet, the adoption of already existing sustainable agricultural practices such as agroforestry often remains low. This paper aims to deepen the understanding of smallholders’ decision-making processes for agroforestry adoption. Using the example of a CIFOR-ICRAF agroforestry project (Fruit Tree Portfolios), we examine the associated influences of ambition and livelihood aspirations on adoption and assess the impact of agroforestry on household well-being. We conduct several statistical analyses, including a logistic regression on the influence of ambitions and aspirations on adoption, and a linear regression with endogenous treatment effects and propensity score matching to assess the impact of adoption on well-being. The analyses are based on a primary data set collected from rural Kenyan households that participated in the project in 2021. We confirm the inverted U-shaped relationship between ambition and the willingness to take proactive steps, in this case the adoption of agroforestry, and emphasize its relevance for decision-making processes. In addition, livelihood aspirations towards off- or on-farm activities promoted the likelihood of adoption. Due to the versatility of integrating fruit trees into farms, they can serve both market- and food security-oriented purposes and thus supporting livelihoods in multiple ways. This is confirmed by the positive results of adoption on household well-being in terms of food security and household income. In summary, the inclusion of cognitive factors such as ambition and livelihood aspirations can help explain the adoption decisions of smallholder households and support inclusive and customized project designs. In the long term, these findings could have the potential to ensure that development interventions are adopted more successfully.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Environmental Economics and World Trade

External Organisation(s)

Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF)

Type

Article

Journal

Trees, Forests and People

Volume

16

No. of pages

11

Publication date

06.2024

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Forestry, Economics, Econometrics and Finance (miscellaneous), Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 2 - Zero Hunger

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2024.100544 (Access: Open)