11. SOCIO-ECONOMIC ISSUES IN AGROFORESTRY

11.1 Introduction

Rural Kenya varies a great deal from one area to another. Such variation is due to biophysical factors such as soils and climate, as well as to the different land-use practices and other activities of the people living in the areas concerned. In the ASAL areas, pastoral and semi-pastoral land-use systems dominate, and the people largely depend on cattle or camels for their food production and as a saving and investment for future needs. High-potential areas are dominated by intensive agriculture. Infrastructural development has progressed further in the central highlands and access to markets has improved over the years. Hence, people are more involved in the monetary economy.

Traditions and values, organization of communities and level of development vary between different ethnic groups, and even within ethnic groups. Effective extension work in agroforestry or in any other field must take such factors into account. Factors which relate more to conditions in the communities and less to the biophysical environment can be called socio-economic factors. Examples of such factors that are of particular importance for agroforestry extension are land and tree tenure, gender issues, traditions and beliefs, policy issues and legislation, and the economics of agroforestry. These factors will be briefly discussed in the following sections.