Agroforestry adoption in southern Malawi:: the case of mixed intercropping of Gliricidia sepium and maize

Agroforestry, now considered as a sustainable agricultural system, is being widely promoted all over the world especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper investigates the adoption of mixed inter-cropping an agroforestry tree species, Gliricidia sepium, and maize in Malawi. The differences between adopters and non-adopters of Gliricidia sepium in terms of their age, active members of the family, extension contact, income sources and other socioeconomic variables are examined. Results from logistic regression analysis suggest that age of the farmer, extension contact and the number of people who contribute to farm work are important variables in determining the adoption of agroforestry. It was observed that farmers modified technologies to suit their situation, suggesting that local participation is important in technology development. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.