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The Power of Trees: Agroforestry diffusion among small-scale farmers in Uganda

Eneqvist, Maria LU and Forsberg, Sophie LU (2010) MIDM70 20101
LUMID International Master programme in applied International Development and Management
Abstract
Uganda previously had the reputation of being Africa’s food basket, which unfortunately no longer is the case. To mitigate the downwards spiral of soil depletion many organisations, both governmental and non-governmental, introduce land-management systems to farmers, with agroforestry being one example.
This study aims to elucidate the importance of the dissemination of information in the context of agroforestry among among small-scale farmers in Southern Uganda. More precisely, we focus on impacting factors such as sources and channels of knowledge and information about agroforestry in relation to farmers’ situation and preferences. To that end, we employ Everett Rogers’ diffusion of innovation theory, while including a power aspect in... (More)
Uganda previously had the reputation of being Africa’s food basket, which unfortunately no longer is the case. To mitigate the downwards spiral of soil depletion many organisations, both governmental and non-governmental, introduce land-management systems to farmers, with agroforestry being one example.
This study aims to elucidate the importance of the dissemination of information in the context of agroforestry among among small-scale farmers in Southern Uganda. More precisely, we focus on impacting factors such as sources and channels of knowledge and information about agroforestry in relation to farmers’ situation and preferences. To that end, we employ Everett Rogers’ diffusion of innovation theory, while including a power aspect in the equation. Through a qualitative case study we found that a lack of knowledge within the target group and lack of acknowledgement of the power dynamics, do impede the diffusion process. While many farmers do adopt agroforestry techniques, they do so without including the core element; trees. This may improve farming practices on a short-term, however, the potential benefits and long-term sustainability of the NRM system is questionable. (Less)
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author
Eneqvist, Maria LU and Forsberg, Sophie LU
supervisor
organization
course
MIDM70 20101
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Diffusion of Innovations, Uganda, Small-Scale Farmers, Agroforestry
language
English
id
1607478
date added to LUP
2010-11-09 14:36:18
date last changed
2011-01-21 13:47:49
@misc{1607478,
  abstract     = {{Uganda previously had the reputation of being Africa’s food basket, which unfortunately no longer is the case. To mitigate the downwards spiral of soil depletion many organisations, both governmental and non-governmental, introduce land-management systems to farmers, with agroforestry being one example.
This study aims to elucidate the importance of the dissemination of information in the context of agroforestry among among small-scale farmers in Southern Uganda. More precisely, we focus on impacting factors such as sources and channels of knowledge and information about agroforestry in relation to farmers’ situation and preferences. To that end, we employ Everett Rogers’ diffusion of innovation theory, while including a power aspect in the equation. Through a qualitative case study we found that a lack of knowledge within the target group and lack of acknowledgement of the power dynamics, do impede the diffusion process. While many farmers do adopt agroforestry techniques, they do so without including the core element; trees. This may improve farming practices on a short-term, however, the potential benefits and long-term sustainability of the NRM system is questionable.}},
  author       = {{Eneqvist, Maria and Forsberg, Sophie}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Power of Trees: Agroforestry diffusion among small-scale farmers in Uganda}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}