Volume 4, Issue 3, November 2013, Pages 552–559
Agnes Mugure1, Peter Gutwa Oino2, and Benard Mwori Sorre3
1 University of Eldoret, School of Environmental Studies, Department of Environmental Studies, Eldoret, Kenya
2 Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Egerton University, Department of Peace, Security and Social Studies, Egerton (Njoro), Kenya
3 Moi University, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Anthropology & Human Ecology, Eldoret, Kenya
Original language: English
Copyright © 2013 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The practice of agroforestry can be much beneficial in the African communities where there are harsh environmental conditions, low technologies of agricultural production, fragmented land tenure system, unreliable livelihoods and chronic food insecurity. This paper is an outcome of a descriptive survey study that was conducted in Nambale division, Busia County in Kenya, which partly examined the factors influencing adoption of agroforestry practices among rural households. The adoption of agroforestry has not been very successful due to land ownership and land rights aspects that have adversely affected its adoption to the larger extent. In Kenya, land ownership remains exceedingly skewed in many rural parts of the country. The authors argue that when land ownership is extremely unequal, agroforestry activities and its growth delivers fewer paybacks for the poor rural households. Land tenure problems have been exacerbated by continuous fragmentation of land, land inheritance, gender imbalance in land ownership and the rights to land use. The paper concludes that the decision to adopt agroforestry was partly influenced by land and tree tenure, size of land and gender equity (women's rights to property and recognition of co-ownership). Additionally, rural households' investments in agroforestry increase with increasing in land tenure. The important policy recommendation made is that laws affecting adoption of agroforestry practices should be updated and harmonized in-order to achieve the 10% tree cover and for farmers and households to achieve the maximum benefits of agroforestry.
Author Keywords: Land Tenure System, Land Rights, Land Fragmentation, Decision Making, Gender, Agroforestry.
Agnes Mugure1, Peter Gutwa Oino2, and Benard Mwori Sorre3
1 University of Eldoret, School of Environmental Studies, Department of Environmental Studies, Eldoret, Kenya
2 Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Egerton University, Department of Peace, Security and Social Studies, Egerton (Njoro), Kenya
3 Moi University, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Anthropology & Human Ecology, Eldoret, Kenya
Original language: English
Copyright © 2013 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
The practice of agroforestry can be much beneficial in the African communities where there are harsh environmental conditions, low technologies of agricultural production, fragmented land tenure system, unreliable livelihoods and chronic food insecurity. This paper is an outcome of a descriptive survey study that was conducted in Nambale division, Busia County in Kenya, which partly examined the factors influencing adoption of agroforestry practices among rural households. The adoption of agroforestry has not been very successful due to land ownership and land rights aspects that have adversely affected its adoption to the larger extent. In Kenya, land ownership remains exceedingly skewed in many rural parts of the country. The authors argue that when land ownership is extremely unequal, agroforestry activities and its growth delivers fewer paybacks for the poor rural households. Land tenure problems have been exacerbated by continuous fragmentation of land, land inheritance, gender imbalance in land ownership and the rights to land use. The paper concludes that the decision to adopt agroforestry was partly influenced by land and tree tenure, size of land and gender equity (women's rights to property and recognition of co-ownership). Additionally, rural households' investments in agroforestry increase with increasing in land tenure. The important policy recommendation made is that laws affecting adoption of agroforestry practices should be updated and harmonized in-order to achieve the 10% tree cover and for farmers and households to achieve the maximum benefits of agroforestry.
Author Keywords: Land Tenure System, Land Rights, Land Fragmentation, Decision Making, Gender, Agroforestry.
How to Cite this Article
Agnes Mugure, Peter Gutwa Oino, and Benard Mwori Sorre, “Land Ownership and its Impact on Adoption of Agroforestry Practices among Rural Households in Kenya: A Case of Busia County,” International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 552–559, November 2013.
