Farmers' perception and adoption barriers of agroforestry practices: Insights from the Awadh Region, Uttar Pradesh, India

• Boundary plantation is the most preferred agroforestry practice in the Awadh region. • Landholding, poor planting materials, weak incentives and feeble information are the key barriers hindering adoption of agroforestry. • Strengthening extension services, awareness, and farmer-friendly policies are crucial for overcoming adoption barriers and enhancing the role of agroforestry. Agroforestry is a land management technique that intentionally integrates trees with agricultural crops and/or livestock. The present investigation was conducted in the Ayodhya district of Uttar Pradesh, India, to assess the farmers' perception and adoption barriers towards agroforestry practices and their awareness of agricultural and agroforestry schemes. Objective and stratified random sampling techniques were used in combination to select the samples from the population. Personal interview of farmers was carried out using a questionnaire to collect the primary data. The findings reveal that the majority of farmers are middle-aged (45–55 years), male-dominated and literate. Farming experience is substantial, with over 40% of farmers having more than 20 years of experience. Agroforestry practices are moderately adopted, with boundary plantation being the most common (50%) and fruit trees are the most preferred (50.56%). The majority of farmers perceive agroforestry positively, however, financial constraints, lack of information, government policies, incentives, trained agroforestry consultants and limited access to quality planting materials hinder its widespread adoption. The regression model indicates that access to information sources has the strongest impact on farm income. Agroforestry holds various economic and environmental benefits, however, its successful adoption in Awadh region requires addressing socioeconomic, informational and institutional barriers. Policymakers and extension services must focus on raising awareness, providing financial support and fostering a conducive environment for agroforestry practices.