1. Agroforestry-based Enterprises:
A framework for evaluating the
enabling factors for Enterprise
Development
Siddharth M. Vishwanathan*, Stepha McMullin*, Joseph Tanui*
*World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Nairobi, Kenya

2. Background
 Smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa
undergoing rapid changes
 A number of reasons for poor investments in
sustainable solutions :
 Weak institutional support,
 Gaps in technology adoption and extension services
models,
 Weak and inappropriate governance and regulatory
processes
 Low market integration.
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3. Strengthening Rural Institutions
 Funded by IFAD and
implemented by ICRAF and
partners
 Focusing on
 Capacity assessment and
building
 Platform development
 Enterprise development
 6 sites in 3 countries in EA
 Participatory actionresearch with emphasis on
grassroots mobilization
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4. Strengthening Rural Institutions
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5. The need for enterprise development
 Revenue generating activities beyond the
subsistence level, leading to diversified incomes and
additional employment opportunities
 Enhance the sectorial links between agriculture,
agribusiness, and non-agricultural economic
activities
 AF-based entrepreneurs and private sector can be
important drivers of sustainable rural development
 Important to create an enabling environment for
market-oriented activities
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6. The first steps
Q: What are the key factors that enable
development of rural enterprises? How do we
know which of those do we focus on?
 Based on literature and initial findings
 8 key factors identified for consideration
 Can be broadly classified into three groups:
A. Increase capacity at the grassroots level
B. Link to markets and services
C. Create a conducive environment
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7. The 8 factors for enterprise development
A. Strong Households
C. Knowledge
sharing devices
C. Enabling
environment
and policies
C. Hard and soft
infrastructure
B. Private sector engagement
A. Group capacity
B. Markets
B. Support
services and
resources
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8. Surveying rural groups
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Primary enterprise to be developed (existing or new)
Purpose behind the enterprise
Current status (planning, already implemented, etc.)
Current physical and financial assets
Sources of income for the group
Challenges the group faces
Support and training required
Long term vision of the group
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9. Important challenges and support
Based on responses from 10 groups in Kapchorwa, Uganda
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10. Criteria for evaluating the factors
 The eight factors may all be relevant
 Degree to which a project or program may aim to
address deficiencies in each of those factors will vary
 Based on three broad criteria
Importance
Resource
intensity
Influence
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11. Mapping the factors based on the 3 criteria
Based on responses from 10 groups in Kapchorwa, Uganda
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12. Next steps
 Currently being piloted in three countries in East
Africa
 Create effective intervention strategies for each
factor
 Empirical data will further support its proof of
application
 Additional products will be developed
 From data collection tools to analytical tools
 Be published with the finalized framework at the end
of the pilot period
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13. Thank you
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