Abstract:
Anthropogenic activities around Chepalungu forest has lead to its reduction in size and has resulted
in its degradation. Continued dependency on this forest may result in its total depletion despite its
high biological diversity and the value of its natural resources. Farmers in the area have been
largely uninterested in adopting agroforestry practice around Chepalungu forest, despite the
potential for these practices to reduce demands on the forest. This study identified barriers to
adopting agroforestry practices around Chepalungu forest in Bomet County, Kenya. Researchers
adopted descriptive survey research design in this study. The study was done in 2016. The study
sites were four locations around Chepalungu forest (Bing’wa, Siongiroi, Ndanai, and Abosi), which
are 5 km from the forest edge and were selected using simple random sampling method. A total of
377 household questionnaires were administered in the four locations. Chi-Square and Mann
Whitney U tests were used in the data analysis. Significance levels were expressed at P<0.05 using SPSS version 17 software. The results showed that there was a significant association (χ
2
= 530.8; P
<0.01) between the types of agroforestry practices and challenges affecting the adoption of
agroforestry practices. Notable challenges were: damage by animals, damage by man, tree nursery
problems, inadequate capital, natural calamities, competing land uses, managerial problems and
seed acquisition problems.
