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

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.