George Owuor

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) faces the challenge of low food production and high incidences of poverty. Several programs initiated in the region to improve food security and market access have had limited success. Many households mainly grow bananas and legumes as staple crops. Using propensity score matching, this paper evaluates the impact of bananas and legumes commercialization on household food security. Commercial oriented farmers have more diverse diets than non-commercial oriented ones because they can easily purchase other foods to supplement own production. Commercialization has a robust and positive effect on household food security. It significantly increases household dietary diversity and reduces the number of coping strategies adopted during food shortage. Programs that promote commercialization of smallholder agriculture coupled with improved infrastructure in terms of roads and market information systems are continuously needed to facilitate com...

Abstract Access to profitable market outlets for agroforestry mango producers is a major concern in Kwale and Kilifi counties. This paper is set to determine the factors affecting the choice of market outlets among agroforestry mango producers. The study analyzed the market outlets chosen by producers to find out which were the most prevalent chosen. The multivariate probit model was used to determine the factors that affect the choice of market outlets among the agroforestry mango producers. Data were collected using exploratory research through the systematic sampling approach. This resulted in an ultimate selection of 208 respondents, half of which participated in commercial farming and the other half practiced subsistence agroforestry. The results show that of the sampled respondents, 15% sold at farm gate, 63% sold to middlemen, 11% sold to local retailers and 11% sold to town markets. The Multivariate Probit model results indicate that education level (5%), price (1%), access to credit (5%) and age (10%) had a negative significant influence on the producers’ choice of farm gate market outlet as only gender had a positive influence at 10% significance level. Negotiation costs and mango quantity sold had a positive influence in selection of middlemen at 1% and 5% significant level, respectively, while price and cost of transport had a negative influence at 1% and 5% significance level. For the local retail market outlet, price and cost of transport had a positive and negative significance at 1% and 5%, respectively. Lastly, at the town market outlet distance to market outlet, education level (5%), price (1%) and age (5%) positively influenced the selection of the outlet, while both off-farm income and negotiation cost had a negative influence at 5% significance level. The prevalence of mango producers’ selling to middlemen was as a result of the immediate cash offered by the outlet capitalizing on the desperate need for cash by mango producers. However, the town markets offered better returns though the several barriers to enter limited mango producers from accessing them. The results revealed that subsistence agroforestry mango producers dominated the farm gate and middlemen outlets, while producers with commercial systems mostly sold their produce to the local retail and town markets. The high transaction costs involved in accessing potential profitable markets need to be addressed by the relevant stakeholders so as to encourage more agroforestry mango-based producers into market participation.

Maize is a key food crop in Kenya. While maize yields increased from 1.25 t ha-1 in early 1960s to over 2 tonnes in 1982, they fell below 1.5 t ha-1 in 2000. Given the limited land area, there is no doubt that Kenya will have to rely more on modern technologies for increased yields .Use of improved maize varieties and fertilizers will therefore continue to be critical inputs for improving productivity. To improve production, it is important to understand factors determining adoption and intensity of use of modern technologies. A stratified 2-stage sampling design was used to select 1800 households, subsequently interviewed by means of structured questionnaire. Econometric models were used to explore factors influencing adoption and intensity of use of the improved varieties and fertilizer. Access to credit was positively related to adoption and intensity of use of the two inputs. Extension contacts positively influenced the likelihood of adoption of improved maize seed, while amount...

Improving the economic welfare of smallholder farmers through agricultural commercialization strategy has been of great concern in sub-Saharan Africa. This is especially so in the Arid and Semi-Arid (ASAL) areas of Kenya which are prone to drought and poverty challenges. Among the few crops that can thrive in these areas and be used in commercialization is cassava. Therefore this study purposed to evaluate the effect of cassava commercialization on household income among smallholder farmers in Siaya County, Kenya. A multistage sample of 181 households was obtained. An econometric analysis based on endogenous switching regression model was performed. The study found that farmers who undertook cassava commercialization had a significant higher income relative to those who did not. In addition, several factors were found to significantly affect commercialization. These included farm size, years of education and remittances which positively (p<0.05) influenced cassava commercializati...

Despite intensive dissemination of management intervention package, there is low productivity and commercialization of indigenous chicken (Gallus domesticus) in Africa. The management intervention package comprises feed supplementation, housing, chick rearing, brooding and vaccination. Smallholder farmers often regard these management interventions as costly, risky, unprofitable, and inaccessible and that they require high technical knowledge. This paper emphasizes the role of management intervention package in productivity of smallholder indigenous chicken farmers. Principal Component Analysis combined with Cluster analysis was used to determine three homogenous groups adopting management interventions. The three groups are; feed supplementation and vaccination adopters, feed supplementation and brooding adopters and Full management intervention package adopters. The effect of these adopted management interventions was then analyzed using log linear regression model which takes the...

In this study cross-section data was used to analyze the effect of farmers’ demographic, socioeconomic and institutional setting, market access and physical attributes on the probability and intensity of tissue culture banana (TCB) adoption. The study was carried out between July 2011 and November 2011. Both descriptive (mean, variance, promotions) and regression analysis were used in the analysis. A double hurdle regression model was fitted on the data. Using multistage sampling technique, four counties and eight sub-locations were randomly selected. Using random sampling technique, three hundred and thirty farmers were selected from a list of banana households in the selected sub-locations. The adoption level of tissue culture banana (TCB) was about 32%. The results also revealed that the likelihood of TCB adoption was significantly influenced by: availability of TCB planting material, proportion of banana income to the total farm income, per capita household expenditure and the l...

This paper explores the factors that influence diversification into Khat production and its contribution to rural household’s income in Kenya. Using probability and non-probability sampling procedures, a sample of 125 households composed of both Khat producers and non producers was selected. Logit regression was used to estimate the factors that influence participation in Khat production while propensity Score Matching (PSM) was used to assess its contribution to rural household’s income. The factors that enhances participation are access to extension services, number of school going children, agricultural land size, household’s income and main occupation of the household head whereas the factors that hinder participation are age of the household head, distance from the main market and access to credit. Subsequently, Khat production positively contributes to the household’s income. Hence, as an alternative measure to boost the rural household’s income, Khat enterprise should be prom...

Abstract: This study evaluated socio-economic, institutional and product characteristics that influence the choice for African indigenous vegetable (AIV) retail outlets among rural and urban households in Kenya. Multistage sampling technique was used to select a sample of 450 respondents from four counties in Kenya. Data was collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire and a multinomial Probit model was used in the analysis. Findings revealed that local open air markets and green groceries were the most preferred retail outlets in rural and urban households, respectively. Additionally, gender, age and education level of the key decision-maker, household size, varietal diversity, vegetable bunch size, market distance and perceptions regarding AIV retail prices significantly influenced the choice for AIV retail outlets. Interventions that would standardize the quantity of vegetables sold per bunch in both supermarkets and green groceries and a further development of more...

This paper characterises smallholder milk outlets in Nakuru district one of the major milk producing Districts in Kenya, and also analyses factors that influence their current operating and handling capacities. Data comes from four divisions of the district. A sample of 137 smallholder milk retail outlets was made using systematic random sampling methodology. Both descriptive and ordinary regression methods were used in the analysis. A characterisation of the retail outlets is brought out and the factors that affect their current operating capacities presented. Results show that a unit change in education, experience and selling prices leads to 0.29, 0.18 and 0.23 significant changes in milk handling capacities by the retail outlets respectively. These imply that there is an efficiency gain from education and better prices through higher consumer incomes in the industry. Enhancement of milk retailers' value addition through provision of physical facilities such as cooling equipm...

Women lag in the adoption of agricultural innovations compared to men, mainly due to gender inequalities in access to complementary inputs, capital, and knowledge/information. The Infection-and-Treatment-Method (ITM) is considered a safe and effective method of controlling East Coast fever. However, since its commercialisation in Kenya differences in demand for this vaccine among smallholder men and women dairy cattle keepers have not been assessed. Using a sample of 448 respondents, we used an Average-Treatment-Effect framework to estimate ITM adoption rates under awareness constraints and the determinants of adoption among smallholder male-headed (MHHs) and femaleheaded (FHHs) households. We found some difference in ITM awareness between MHHs (57 per cent) and FHHs (46 per cent). However, gender adoption gaps in the actual and potential adoption rates were considerable, with actual adoption rates of 41 per cent and potential adoption rate of 62 per cent among MHHs, compared to 19 ...

Vegetable production is one of the most important income generating activities conducted by women in Koutiala and Bougouni. This enterprise plays a fundamental role in economic development as well as improved household income and food security. Although the women have continuously produced and marketed vegetables, many households are still poor. As a result, the World Vegetable Centre introduced various interventions to improve performance of the women owned vegetable enterprises and one among many being the introduction of five new varieties of vegetables (tomato, onion, okra, eggplant and chilli). Nevertheless, empirical evidence is lacking on the benefit  derived by farmers who have chosen the vegetables as well as the socio-economic and institutional factors influenicng the same. Therefore to evaluate the performance and determinants of selected women-led vegetable enterprises, gross margin analysis and ordinary least square model were used. A multi-stage sampling technique was ...

Peach (Prunus persica) production is a major agro-economic activity in Lesotho. However, most smallholder peach farmers in Lesotho still fail to reap the benefits that are in line with peach commercialization. This is because of high transaction costs, which vary along with different peach marketing outlets. This study was conducted to determine the influence of transaction costs on the choice of marketing outlets of peaches in Lesotho. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 90 respondents for this study. Cross-sectional data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. A Multivariate probit model was used to analyse transaction costs influencing the choice of marketing outlets among smallholder peach farmers. The study revealed that gender and communication costs positively influenced the choice of farm gate; while the time taken to reach other outlets and average monthly income negatively influenced the choice of farm gate outlets. Sorting, grading and communi...

The idea that smallholder farmers are reasonably efficient has triggered much debate in Sub-Saharan Africa. Indeed, efficiency of smallholder farmers has implications for choice of development strategy; reason being that Sub-Saharan countries derive over 60% of their livelihoods from smallholder agriculture and rural economic activities. This paper evaluates factors that promote production efficiency among smallholder farmers in Kenya as avenues for policy intervention. A production frontier function was fitted to a random sample derived from a survey carried in 2007. Results show that all conventional inputs had the expected significance. On the inefficiency indicators, ownership to farmland, attendance to agricultural workshops, access to credit and participation in self-help groups significantly reduced inefficiency, while age, market distance, female gender and formal education increased inefficiency. Our findings suggest that within the available technologies, farmers can impro...

With access to formal credit proving almost impossible to smallholder farmers, group based lending is steadily becoming popular in Africa. However, little is documented on the role of such programmes. In this paper, we employ propensity score matching and endogenous switching regime methods on a sample of 600 smallholder farmers drawn from two agricultural regions in Kenya in 2007. The goal of the survey was to evaluate the economic impact of group based credit programmes on smallholder farmers’ productive performance and poverty reduction in Kenya. Our findings reveal gains with significant impacts of group based credit on incomes in the range of 300 and 480 euros as well as via purchased inputs, with participation in such credit programmes significantly constrained by low literacy levels prevalent among a majority of rural farm households, influence of gender, with female headed households dominating in membership and little participation on the part of male headed households, poo...

Maize is the staple food crop and source of income for majority of the Kenyan population and many sub-Saharan African countries. The increasing Kenyan population demands an increase in maize production if intermittent food deficits have to be averted. Since the introduction of improved maize varieties in mid-1960, the start of Green Revolution period, maize yields increased drastically up to 1970s and started declining from 1980s to-date. The key contributory factors are nutrient mining, sub-optimal input use and insect pest damage. Of the insect pests, stalk borer is of economic importance. Currently, KARI and CIMMYT are developing maize varieties that are tolerant to stalk borer damage. In order to evaluate the potential impact of these interventions economics of stalk borer control at farm level was evaluated. Surveys complemented with on-farm trials were executed in six major maize growing zones of Kenya. Farmers were randomly selected and a sample-frame established after which ...

Since independence, poverty reduction and enhanced food security have been Kenya Government’s objectives. At micro-level, households diversify income sources as a management strategy to enhance their welfare. However, this has not been satisfactorily achieved due to multiple factors. This research was aimed at analyzing factors influencing income diversification in maize based farming systems. It is hypothesized that these factors significantly contribute to the performance of agro-based household economies. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 2004 covering 1850 rural households covering seven agro-ecological zones describing different sources of incomes and labour allocation using a structured questionnaire. Multi-stage sampling technique was used in selecting respondents. Descriptive statistics, multinomial logit and Tobit models were employed in the analyses. The results show that majority of farmers engage in cash cropping but with off-farm income supplementation. Howeve...

This paper determines consumers’ socioeconomic, institutional and termites’ characteristics influencing the determination of Edible Winged Termites (EWT) market prices in Kenya. The multistage sampling procedure was used to select 384 rural and urban consumers who were interviewed using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Hedonic price analysis model. Results indicate that consumers’ willingness to pay was influenced by off-farm activities and place of residence for raw, fried, sun-dried and blanched; kiosk for raw, fried and sun-dried; time taken walking to nearest market for fried, sun-dried and blanched; education, income, group membership and culture for fried and sun-dried; age and producers for raw; nutritional officer for fried and termites attributes for sun-dried. This study concludes that: consumers’ participation in off-farm income generating activities and place of residence are the major determinants of EWT market price variations. The s...

The potential benefit of indigenous chicken (Gallus domesticus) production is still under-exploited in Kenya despite the efforts by different stakeholders to mainstream this production system as a pathway to rural development. The production system is often characterized by low input-low output productivity and low commercialization of the enterprise. This study whichdwells onthe currentmanagementpractices andchallengesfacedbysmallholderindigenous chicken farmers was conductedto gain insights into the underlyingcauses of productionconstraints. In Western Kenya women (76%) dominate the indigenous chicken production system. The flock composition consists mainly of chicks, hens and pullets (80%) which reflects their retention for production purposes. Less than half of the farmers access institutional support services such as extension, training, credit and veterinary services. In addition, indigenous chicken is largely reared in a low input-low output free-range system with only few fa...

Finger millet has been an alternative form of sustenance for resource-poor farmers, especially in arid and semi-arid areas in Kenya. However, lack of innovational improvement has often locked small producers into subsistence production and less commercialization. As a result, integration of smallholder farmers into finger millet output markets is still limited. Recently, research and development organizations facilitated the development of new innovations and market linkages for finger millet and other traditional crops for marginal areas in Kenya. But, little is known about the role of these innovations on finger millet commercialization. This study, therefore, sought to determine the level and factors that influence finger millet commercialization in the rise of innovation promotion. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select a total of 384 smallholder finger millet farmers from Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya. The household commercialization index was used to assess the degr...

This study analyses the impact of the liberalization on the intensification of maize production in Kenya. It first analyses the impact of liberalization on input and output prices, followed by an analysis of farmer practices comparing two major farmer surveys, from 1992 and 2002. The results show that liberalization has had a general positive impact on the evolution of prices, with a decrease of input/output price ratios. However, fluctuations of maize prices has become very high and, combined with a decrease of marketing by the marketing board, has increased the uncertainty in maize production. The liberalization has also resulted in a decrease in extension services. Fortunately, farmers have an increased access to credit services. The combined effect of prices and access to services has resulted in little change in the number of farmers using new maize technologies, in particular improved varieties and fertilizer. The dose of fertilizer per ha has, however, decreased. As a result,...

Interest rates play a significant role of intermediation between savers and potential borrowers. High deposit rates acts as incentives to attract savings while high lending rates discourage credit demand from potential borrowers. The margin between deposit rate and lending rate at a given time period forms an interest rate band which has implications on borrowing and deposit mobilization in the economy. In Kenya, the interest rate band has persistently remained wide despite the efforts to narrow it down. Several factors have been established that influence this wide interest rate band. However, this was before the financial reform period when commercial banks dominated the financial sector. This study was designed to evaluate the factors that influence a wide interest rate band in Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) is new developments in the financial sector due to financial reforms in the year 2004. MFI sub sector has contributed to the competitive environment in the credit market. ...

Population pressures and the need to optimize the use of limited available land has led to increasing cropping affluence levels within the maize agro-ecologies in Kenya, and a shift from large to smallholder intensification and multiple cropping patterns. Using a geographic information system, this study relates cropping patterns, by area share, maize productivity and household incomes across maize agro-ecologies, with the purpose to establish a decision support system for optimizing land allocation and in priority setting for introduction of new technologies such as Bt maize varieties. Results show that land use patterns and maize productivity in maize farming systems differ between agroecological zones. The high potential areas experience high maize yields, with maize grown alongside major cash crops such as tea and coffee. In contrast, lowland coastal strip and lake Victoria region tend to grow drought tolerant tuber crops (such as cassava and sweet potatoes) alongside maize in a...

In Africa, many rural farming households keep indigenous chickens (Gallus domesticus) in traditional scavenging systems characterized by low input and low output. To improve productivity, African governments and development partners disseminate a management intervention package consisting of feed supplementation, vaccination, brooder, chick rearing equipment and improved housing. Some smallholder farmers adopt the full package, while others adopt the feed supplementation and vaccination only, or the feed supplementation and brooder only. This study surveyed 120 households in western Kenya and analyzed the data using a multinomial logit model to examine these adoption patterns. The factors that were found to significantly influence adoption were access to extension services, female gender, education level, membership of farmer groups and off-farm income. We therefore recommend the formulation of pro-poor policy, focusing on improved extension programs, formation of farmer groups, enc...

Bt maize in Kenya is a promising biotechnology innovation for poor households. Econometric prediction from a trait-based model of variety adoption indicates that the choice of host variety has equity and efficiency implications related to heterogeneity in maize growing environments and pest pressures, as well as the differences among farm households in terms of wealth, income, and market

A large part of the population of Mali is facing food insecurity. Some farmers see a way out of this situation through their involvement in artisanal gold-mining as for instance in the Sikasso region of Mali. Many migrate from agricultural production to off-farm activities such as artisanal gold mining. The objective of this study was to determine the socio-economic factors that influence households to get engaged in artisanal gold mining in Sikasso region. The study site was located in Farabacoura artisanal gold-mining area, some 170 km from the capital Bamako. The study used an exploratory and descriptive research design with a random sample of 200 households. Research tools used included questionnaires, focus group discussion, key informant interviews. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The factors that had significant influence on households to decide to get engaged in gold mining included profession (χ2 = 96.8; p < 0.001), origin (χ2 = 78.1; p &l...

The objective of the study was to assess the factors influencing the likelihood of adoption and intensity of adoption of Tissue culture banana in four counties of West Kenya. The study utilized cross-section data to analyze the effect of farmers’ demographic, socioeconomic and institutional setting, market access and physical attributes on the probability and intensity of TCB adoption. A double hurdle model was fitted on the data collected from randomly selected 330 farmers between July 2011 and November 2011. Secondary data were also used to complement the primary data. The study depicted relatively low adoption of TCB was 32% % of total sampled size. The results of the study provided empirical evidence of a significant influence on likelihood TCB adoption were availability of TCB planting material, proportion of banana income to the total farm income, per capita household expenditure and the location of the farmer in Kisii County, while those that significantly influenced the inte...

Abstract East Coast fever (ECF), caused by a protozoon and transmitted by ticks, is the most critical cattle disease in Eastern and Southern Africa. Farmers have used the Infection and Treatment Method (ITM) to control ECF in Kenya since 2012. Yet, the differences in terms of perceptions and benefits accrued between men and women remain unclear. This study sought to understand how men and women perceive ITM effectiveness and to evaluate its impact on their livelihoods. The study included 29 gender-disaggregated focus group discussions with cattle keepers, the transcripts of which were subjected to systematic text analysis. This analysis indicates that women are highlighting the cost of the vaccine and inadequate awareness as the main obstacles to ITM adoption, while men describe the package size of 40 doses as the greatest constraint. Women benefit from increased milk sales resulting from growing herds and shifts to dairy breeds, but their workload increases with more animals to manage. Men benefit from additional cattle sales and extend their involvement in milking and controlling milk sales. The results demonstrate that vaccinating with ITM has the potential to transform the livelihoods of cattle keepers. However, appropriate gender-sensitive strategies should be put in place to enable both men and women to benefit from the vaccine while avoiding increases in women's workload and intra-household gender competition.

Accounts receivable refer to the payments expected by an organization in the foreseeable future. Accounts receivable management plays an integral part in the financial performance of higher learning institutions. With several public universities experiencing no or delayed payments from the respective receivable accounts, such institutions have been characterized with financial constraints, struggling to meet their immediate obligations. From reduced government capitation, lack of the module two students (Self-Sponsored), and students' non-compliance on fee payment policy, public universities in Kenya continue to experience poor financial performance due to inefficiency of their accounts receivable management. This study sought to examine the effect of accounts receivable management on the financial performance of chartered public universities in Kenya. The general and specific objective was to determine the effect of accounts receivable management on the financial performance of...

ABSTRACT Commercialisation of agriculture has long been considered an important driver of intensification, production, food security and farm incomes in Africa. This article investigates whether commercialisation is able to increase the intensification and yield of banana and legumes in central Africa. The study utilises survey data from 480 smallholder farmers in selected regions in rural Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The findings show a positive effect of commercialisation on improved seed varieties use and food crop yields, even after controlling for an endogeneity problem. There is no strong evidence of commercialisation effect on fertilizer use among the sampled farm households. Apart from commercialisation, better education, larger farm sizes, access to markets and credit facilities, good roads and extension contacts are necessary for farmers to increase input use and crop yields. Overall, these findings suggest that programmes targeting to increase smallholder farm productivity through commercialisation will only work if they consider production and marketing conditions surrounding the target households.

The authors present survey findings from agropastoral households living near tourist attraction sites and undertake agropastoral activities, conservation, and community tourism enterprises in Laikipia, Kenya. Laikipia is a major wildlife migration route, popular with private conservancies and ranches, attracting large numbers of tourists. The authors explore the key determinants of participation in community tourism and find that communication and road infrastructure, membership of community groups, and security aspects influence household participation in community tourism. Policies aiming to improve infrastructure and security and to encourage the formation of investment groups would enhance participation in community tourism activities and raise household incomes.