Although on-farm research in severalparts of Africa suggests positive prospects for theadoption of hedgerow intercropping, this paper arguesthat the implications of intra-household processeshave not been considered in sufficient details. Suchinformation is necessary for targeting the technologyto specific socio-cultural localities and categoriesof producers and for anticipating adoption trends.Based on three case materials, two from southernNigeria and one from western Kenya, it examines howthe gender division of labor, decision-making, andareas of responsibility and inter-generational landallocation patterns determine that the interests andneeds of certain (...) household members are met, often atthe expense of others. The tendency of agriculturalresearchers to ignore the intra-household dimension isattributed to the frequent absence of sociologists andanthropologists as integral members of research teamsand the use of research methodologies that areinappropriate for uncovering the complexities ofintra-household issues. (shrink)

In the cash budgets of farm householdsin western Kenya, off-farm occupations and cropsaccount for the most important sources of income. Treeand livestock products are of secondary importance incash terms, although farmers attach great importanceto trees as a source of income because of the variousnon-monetary functions they supply. The findingspresented in this paper suggest that two variables,the domestic development cycle of households andwealth, are likely to affect the adoption pattern ofcertain introduced agroforestry technologies,depending on farmers' strategies to produce treeproducts and milk (...) for subsistence, largely for themarket or some combination of the two. However, forthe most part, farmers in western Kenya are likely togive first priority to investing in enterprises, suchas business and livestock production, that yieldshort-term financial returns as oppossed to investingin long-gestation agroforestry technologies whichprovide non-tangible benefits and financial returnsonly after several years. (shrink)

This article addresses concerns of technology dissemination for small farmers, specifically focusing on the diffusion of new varieties of a self-pollinating crop. Based on bean seed systems research in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, it shows four commonly-held basic assumptions to be false, namely that: first, small-scale farmers do not buy bean seed; they mainly rely on their own stocks or obtain seed from other farmers; second, that small-scale farmers cannot afford to buy seed of newly (...) introduced bean varieties or will not risk it; third, that farmer seed networks function efficiently in varietal diffusion; and lastly, that a good variety will sell itself. Grounded in the reality under which small farmers actually operate, the article offers recommendations for improving the delivery of newly introduced bean cultivars by NARS and seed suppliers. Most of the recommendations are relevant to other self-pollinating crops. (shrink)

A major reason for the low adoption of modern varieties of seed among small-scale farmers in developing countries is the inability of formal, centralized seed production systems to meet their complex and diverse seed requirements. Drawing on experiences in Uganda with the common bean, the paper proposes seed production by farmer seed enterprises (FSEs) as a strategy for meeting dual objectives: to sustainably distribute and promote modern crop varieties and to establish a regular source of “clean” seed of either local (...) or modern varieties. It reports on lessons learned from the Ugandan experience and offers a conceptual framework and guidelines for establishing economically and institutionally sustainable FSEs. While FSEs offer a potentially sustainable solution to the problem of seed supply, the challenge of implementing and scaling up this approach in eastern and southern Africa remains formidable. Collaborative linkages need to be fostered between farmers, researchers, agro-enterprise specialists, NGOs, and the formal seed industry. Seed policy reforms need to be implemented and more client-oriented research systems must be institutionalized. (shrink)