Farmers' use and adaptation of alley farming in Nigeria.

Abstract

A farm level study on the adoption (and adaptation) of alley farming was conducted in Nigeria between July and September 1996. Two hundred and twenty-three farmers were surveyed in 14 villages, 142 in the southwest and 81 in the southeast. Results suggest a number of socioeconomic factors that should be used for better targeting of alley farming and its variants in Nigeria. Some conclusions can be drawn from the analysis. First, the adoption process of the alley farming technology is not gender-neutral; the probability of adoption was higher for men than for women farmers. Secondly, it appears that village-level proxies for economic and institutional factors play a key role in influencing incentives for technology adoption. Thirdly, efforts to promote agroforestry technologies should focus on not just locational issues, but also on their interaction with policy-amenable variables. Finally, it is important for researchers to carefully monitor and assess how farmers are using technologies.

The role of knowledge, attitudes and perceptions in the uptake of agricultural and agroforestry innovations among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa

“…Although economic considerations are often found to play an important role in the adoption process of agroforestry, a wide range of other variables affects the decision to plant trees. For example, a study looking at the factors determining the decision to adopt and adapt alley farming in Nigeria showed that both economic variables as well as farmer characteristics were significant in explaining farmers' adoption decisions (Adesina and Chianu 2002). Similarly, Krause et al (2007) analysed smallholder farmers' decisions for the integration of woody plants in Ethiopia and found that resource-based factors as well as personal characteristics of the farmers are major decision-making determinants.…”

More than just trees: Assessing reforestation success in tropical developing countries

“…The frequency with which farmers have contact with extension agents is important in the acquisition of skills and knowledge (Salam et al, 2000;Adesina and Chianu, 2002). Hence, the efficiency of the forestry/ agroforestry extension services and dissemination of information is essential in improving farmers' forest management capability.…”

Combining Econometric, Cost–Benefit, and Financial Methodologies in a Framework to Increase Diffusion and to Predict the Feasibility and Sustainability of Irrigation Schemes: A Case Study in Kurdistan, Iraq

“…Other studies chose alternative proxies for income: the farm size ( [35]), the estimated gross income ( [44]), the estimated consumption per capita ( [36]), or the stated yield for the main crop ( [27]). Moreover, I introduced a dummy variable to account for direct access to output markets, thereby omitting the alternative reference to local traders ( [28]), and I introduced four dummy variables for prices, with good or fair (but not unfair) as the options for output and input prices ( [31]). Finally, I used dummy variables for direct access to bank loans ( [45]), thereby omitting the alternative reference to other sources (i.e., cooperatives and other farmers), and for whether the percentage of income from livestock activities was greater than 50% ( [37]).…”

“…Adesina and Chianu [28] used a logit model to assess the determinants of farmer decisions to adopt and adapt alley farming technology in Nigeria by considering both farmer and village characteristics. They found that farmer origins, previous contacts with agricultural extension agents, the number of years of experience with agro-forestry, land pressures, erosion intensity, and the distance from urban centers were all statistically significant factors.…”