Use of ethnoecology in agroforestry systems research: An example of AF technology and pest management research in Kenya

This paper looks at the benefits of combining ethnobotany (human ecology and ethnography) and agroecology (environmental systems science). This detailed look at an ICRAF agroforestry research project in Mbiuni, Kenya (Machakos District) provides a positive outlook on the role of indigenous participation in identifying and solving development problems. Through small group meetings and informant interviews, many potential research areas were discovered. The most important of these being domestication of indigenous plants and trees, pest control (termites), and off-farm flora collection. Included also in this paper are the results of some local experiments in the above research topics. Also contains ideas for further study.