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Participation of smallholders in carbon-certified small-scale agroforestry: A lesson from the rural Mount Kenyan region

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  • Emmanuel Benjamin
  • Matthias Blum

Abstract

This study examines factors that determine the participation of smallholder farmers in certified agroforestry programs involving payments for ecosystem services (PES) in the mount Kenyan region, Kenya. A random utility model and logit regression was used to test a set of nonmonetary and monetary factors that influence participation in the international small group tree planting programme (TIST). This study employs survey data compiled in 2013 on 210 randomly selected smallholders; equally split between TIST and non-TIST members. The findings suggest that the spread of information via formal and informal networks as well as credit constraints are three important drivers of participating in the TIST program. Conversely, participation in TIST is not influenced by farm size, proximity to market, and level of education. Given the importance of smallholder poverty alleviation and credit market accessibility in the presence of climate change, our findings suggest that sustainable development policies should focus on strengthening the social capital and informal networks.

Suggested Citation

  • Emmanuel Benjamin & Matthias Blum, 2015. "Participation of smallholders in carbon-certified small-scale agroforestry: A lesson from the rural Mount Kenyan region," Economics Working Papers 15-03, Queen's Management School, Queen's University Belfast.
  • Handle: RePEc:qub:wpaper:1503
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Emmanuel Olatunbosun Benjamin & Oreoluwa Ola & Hannes Lang & Gertrud Buchenrieder, 2021. "Public-private cooperation and agricultural development in Sub-Saharan Africa: a review of Nigerian growth enhancement scheme and e-voucher program," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(1), pages 129-140, February.
    2. Benjamin, Emmanuel O. & Ola, Oreoluwa & Buchenrieder, Gertrud, 2018. "Does an agroforestry scheme with payment for ecosystem services (PES) economically empower women in sub-Saharan Africa?," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 31(PA), pages 1-11.
    3. Benjamin, Emmanuel O. & Hall, Daniel & Sauer, Johannes & Buchenrieder, Gertrud, 2022. "Are carbon pricing policies on a path to failure in resource-dependent economies? A willingness-to-pay case study of Canada," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Agroforestry program; Network; Spillover; Payment for ecosystem services (PES); Adoption; Information; Sub-Saharan Africa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D8 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development
    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • Q1 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture
    • Q2 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation

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