Agroforestry adoption in Illinois: Influence of place attachment and development of an agroforestry suitability tool

The Midwest has seen an increase in climate-smart agriculture practices that aim to combat environmental degradation from conventional agriculture while maintaining or increasing economic revenue. One of these practices is agroforestry, or the intentional integration of woody perennials into agriculture, which has the potential to improve soil health, water quality, carbon sequestration, provide livestock food and shelter, increase biodiversity, and create habitat for wildlife. Advocates also promise improvements in farm resilience and income. However, the adoption of agroforestry varies due to technical, financial, and structural challenges; thus, research is needed to better understand—and assist—farm operators deciding to adopt this intensive set of practices with long lag-times to return on investment. To this end, I conducted semi-structured interviews (n=36) with program administrators (n=10), agroforestry operators (n=18), and conventional operators (n=8). In Chapter 2, I draw on place attachment theory to understand how different connections to one’s land affect agroforestry adoption. I find retired individuals and young operators are adopting agroforestry because of their place attachment to their operation. These operators are adopting agroforestry because it contributes to their quality-of-life goals for their families, community, and farms biodiversity. In Chapter 3, I present the development process of the Agroforestry Suitability Tool, an online geospatial decision-support system that aims to assist program administrators targeting suitable areas for agroforestry adoption across the Midwest. Practically, this thesis aims to inform program administrators on how place attachment can be leveraged to increase agroforestry adoption, and to introduce a support tool delivering information to key stakeholders.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Natural Res & Env Sciences

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Ramirez, Alexandra R.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Wardropper, Chloe
• Kar, Shibu
• Pitas, Nick

• Agroforestry
• Adoption
• Decision-making
• Place Attachment
• Online Support Tool
• Suitability
• Illinois

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Alexandra Ramirez

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129247

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F129247