Documenting the Key Challenges Facing Agroforestry Technologies in Vihiga County, Kenya

Agroforestry technologies have been proposed among development practitioners, policymakers, and social scientists as one of the critical strategies for strengthening agricultural production, ameliorating environmental degradation, increasing farmers’ resilience against climate change, and promoting livelihoods among rural communities. However, despite this wide recognition, the adoption rate and use of agroforestry technologies remains low in Vihiga County, Kenya, owing to various challenges farmers face. Therefore, the overarching goal of this study was to synthesize and document the various socioeconomic, institutional, ecological, and policy-related challenges facing agroforestry technology farmers in Vihiga County, Kenya. The study assumed a descriptive study design based on primary and secondary data. The sources for primary data for this study were key informants’ interviews, questionnaires, and observation. The results indicated that the main challenges facing agroforestry farmers in the study areas are land shortage (60%), lack of capital (15%), lack of seeds/seedlings (8%), competing land use (8%), lack of extension services (6%) and inadequacy of the technologies to sustain livelihoods (3%). Marketing constraints were also evaluated separately, and the results indicated that the key challenges limiting the sale of agroforestry products include poor prices (49%), high transport costs (19%), and competition from similar producers (12%), inadequate market information (13%), and exploitative middlemen (7%). Farmers’ recommendations in resolving these challenges include improving farmers’ access to agroforestry inputs (35%), provision of credit incentives (28%), and harmonization of land tenure policies (37%). In consonance with these findings, the study recommends a multifaceted approach involving various stakeholders both from the private sector in assessing the barriers to agroforestry development and designing strategies to streamline the identified challenges.

Keywords: Agriculture; Agroforestry technologies; Sustainable livelihoods; Kenya.