TY - JOUR

T1 - Aspirations, ambitions and the adoption of diverse fruit trees

T2 - a case study of the livelihood effects in Kenya

AU - Deißler, Luzia

AU - Mausch, Kai

AU - Grote, Ulrike

AU - Karanja, Alice

AU - McMullin, Stepha

N1 - Funding Information: This research was conducted within the project ’Food trees for diversified diets, improved nutrition, and better livelihoods for smallholders in East Africa’ under the Programme Putting Research into Use for Nutrition, Sustainable Agriculture and Resilience (PRUNSAR) and received funding from International Fund for Agricultural Development/European Commission (IFAD/ EC), IFAD Grant Number: 2000001413, and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) commissioned by the Deutsche Gesellschaft f..r Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) through the Fund International Agricultural Research (FIA), Grant Number: 81260863. The work was further funded by the Academy for International Agricultural Research (ACINAR). ACINAR, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), is being carried out by ATSAF e. V. on behalf of the Deutsche Gesellschaft f..r Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

PY - 2024/6

Y1 - 2024/6

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - Agroforestry

KW - Ambition

KW - Food security

KW - Income

KW - Smallholder farming

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85189481725&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.tfp.2024.100544

DO - 10.1016/j.tfp.2024.100544

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85189481725

VL - 16

JO - Trees, Forests and People

JF - Trees, Forests and People

M1 - 100544

ER -