ABSTRACT
This chapter draws from the theoretical and empirical insights of agricultural adoption studies to assess patterns of agro forestry adoption in meeting household needs. It illustrates the nature of adoption behaviour, and the research challenges, using a case study of agro forestry in Siaya and South Nyanza Districts of western Kenya. The chapter poses some policy questions and summarizes the analytical framework which was used for the study. It discusses the implications of the analysis for rural development and forestry policy, and for agro forestry project design. In investigating household response to subsistence, market or policy incentives for land and resource management, it is usually possible to identify groups of households with similar responses. These dynamic factors determining farmer tree-growing practices suggest key policy questions, while complicating their analysis. The presence of a variety of food-producing trees on the farm can provide a more effective form of food security, at lower public administrative cost, than some alternative policies.
