What farmers want: Insights from a choice experiment to guide forest restoration in the Peruvian Amazon

Despite growing recognition of tree-based restoration systems as effective for forest restoration, adoption among farmers remains limited. To enhance participation, it is crucial to understand farmers’ preferences and the factors influencing their decision-making, particularly in areas facing high deforestation and forest degradation, such as the Amazon. This study assesses small-scale farmers´ willingness to adopt tree-based restoration systems on degraded forestlands, identifies key system attributes influencing farmers´ decisions, and analyzes differences in adoption patterns across farmer groups. A discrete choice experiment was conducted with 392 small-scale farmers across two districts in the northern Peruvian Amazon under high deforestation pressure. Overall, farmers showed interest in adopting restoration schemes, favoring agroforestry systems—integrating crops and trees—over monoculture tree plantations. Preferences also tended toward higher subsidies, technical assistance, and implementing the system on only a fraction of degraded forestland. Two distinct groups of farmers emerged based on their willingness to enroll: the majority (73% of the farmers) expressed a clear willingness to adopt the proposed schemes and preferred agroforestry systems over tree plantations, whereas 27% of the farmers were generally reluctant, though their likelihood of enrollment in specific schemes increased with more subsidies, the provision of technical assistance and the option to enroll only a portion of their degraded land. These findings underscore the importance of tailoring restoration programs to the diverse needs of small-scale farmers. Differentiated initiatives that offer technical assistance, tailor subsidies, and flexible land enrollment can enhance participation and improve restoration outcomes in the Peruvian Amazon.