Determinants of Vulnerability to Expected Poverty among French Bean Farmers in Kenya

Poverty is increasing in rural areas of Kenya. The study examined factors influencing vulnerability of French beans farmers to expected poverty using Vulnerability to Expected Poverty approach on 492 randomly selected respondents. The study found a mean vulnerability to expected poverty of 19.6% which is below vulnerability threshold of 50% indicating that majority of French bean farmers irrespective of Global-GAP certification status were invulnerable to expected poverty. However, majority of those who were expenditure (56.3 percent) and income poor (92.2 percent) are vulnerable to future poverty. Factors influencing vulnerability to expected poverty are asset value (P=0.000), net crop income (P=0.000), off-farm income (P=0.000), household size (P=0.000), age of household head (p = 0.088), gender of household head (P=0.001) and distance to market (P=0.000). French beans farmers should practice farm diversification and expand acreage under Global-GAP certified French beans in order to increase income and expenditure and hence alleviate future poverty. Key words: French Beans, Vulnerability, Poverty, Global-Gap Standards DOI: 10.7176/JESD/10-10-14 Publication date:May 31st 201

Analysis of the Determinants of Sweet Potato Value Addition by Smallholder Farmers in Kenya

Sweet potato value addition is increasingly being popularized among producers due to its potential to reduce wastage, increase market access and fetch optimal prices. Despite these documented benefits, smallholder sweet potato producers in Kenya have not implemented value addition widely.  This study analyzed the factors influencing value addition and extent of value addition by smallholder sweet potato farmers of Rachuonyo South sub-county in western Kenya. Using a sample of 200 smallholder farmers, Heckman’s Probit model with sample selection was employed to firstly identify the factors affecting a farmer’s decision to adopt value addition, and secondly evaluate the factors that affect the extent of a farmer’s participation in sweet potato value addition. Study findings show that the probability of adoption was significantly influenced by household size, total quantity produced, credit access, land size and training. Further results show that the distance to the market, group membership, credit access and total quantity produced were found to greatly influence the extent of value addition by sweet potato farmers. In order to leverage smallholder farmers’ adoption of sweet potato value addition, it is important that county and national government policies should focus on encouraging farmers’ group formation, provision of cheap value addition loan packages, seminars, farmer field days and workshops to enable exchange of ideas among different farmers and further encourage farmers to produce more to benefit from economies of scale. In addition, proper marketing strategies such as linking farmers with supermarkets, adequate product development, proper packaging and labeling are challenges that require urgent attention. Keywords: Postharvest technologies, food security, Heckman two-stage selection model, sweet potato value chain, community based rural enterpris

Determinants of Smallholder African Indigenous Leafy Vegetables Farmers’ Market Participation Behaviour in Nyamira County, Kenya

Participation in commercial agriculture holds key prospects for unravelling pertinent opportunities necessary for providing better incomes and sustainable livelihoods for small-scale farmers. Therefore, market participation has the potential to increase farmers’ rural incomes and employment opportunities, especially if farmers concentrate on production and marketing of indigenous crops requiring low inputs such as African indigenous leafy vegetables (AILV). This study examined factors that influenced smallholders’ market participation behaviour. Data was obtained through a household survey using structured questionnaires administered to 254 respondents picked for the study through a multistage sampling procedure. An ordered probit model was used to determine factors influencing smallholders’ market participation as either net buyers, net sellers or autarchies. Findings revealed that marketing experience, land ownership, households’ food self-sufficiency, contractual marketing, access to credit and extension services significantly influenced the regimes in which smallholders participated in markets. It is not enough that farmers merely participated in markets, rather they should participate in markets profitably as net sellers. Identifying the specific challenges and requirements that are unique for each market regime (net sellers, autarkic and net buyers) through proper targeting and screening of farmers is necessary. Here, equipping extension workers with the ability to address the specific needs of each group is recommended. Further, the study advocates for group marketing to increase farmers’ bargaining power during negotiations, in addition to reducing transportation costs by transporting produce in groups. Improving the state of the roads linking producers to markets is also important in reducing the cost of transporting produce, as well as the cost of searching for markets. Keywords: Autarkic, Net buyer, Net seller, Ordered Probit, Smallholder, Nyamira, Keny

Analysis of efficiency in sugarcane production: the case of men and women headed households in SONY sugar out -grower zone, Rongo and Trans-Mara districts, Kenya

About one quarter of cane producers in SONY Outgrower Zone are women headed households. However, a number of studies have suggested that women in rural areas are more disadvantaged in terms of accessing education, land, credit, and extension services. If this is the case, women cane farmers would be expected to be less efficient compared to men farmers. Before this can be concluded, there was need to establish whether differences in economic efficiency between men and women headed households exist in cane growing. The objectives of the research were; to characterize men and women headed cane growing households, to evaluate the relationship between institutional factors and gender, and to determine the differences in economic efficiency between men and women managed sugarcane farms. A multi stage sampling procedure was employed to select 205 active sugarcane farmers. A dual parametric stochastic decomposition technique was employed to disaggregate the components of economic efficiency. FRONTIER 4.1 program was used to derive maximum likelihood estimates and farm level technical efficiencies. A two limit Tobit model was then used to determine the influence of selected socio-economic and institutional variables on farm level technical, allocative and economic efficiency. Results showed that men headed households had a mean technical efficiency of 67.6%, a mean allocative efficiency of 82.48% and a mean economic efficiency of 58.0%. Women headed households had a mean technical efficiency of 72.0%, a mean allocative efficiency of 83.15% and a mean economic efficiency of 62.5%. Land under sugarcane cultivation was the single most important contributor to farmers’ efficiency. Women managed farms were on average more technically, allocative and economically efficient than men managed farms. Membership to outgrower associations in addition to encouraging increase in human capital will be important in enhancing farmers’ efficiency

Analysis of efficiency in sugarcane production: the case of men and women headed households in SONY sugar out -grower zone, Rongo and Trans-Mara districts, Kenya

About one quarter of cane producers in SONY Outgrower Zone are women headed households. However, a number of studies have suggested that women in rural areas are more disadvantaged in terms of accessing education, land, credit, and extension services. If this is the case, women cane farmers would be expected to be less efficient compared to men farmers. Before this can be concluded, there was need to establish whether differences in economic efficiency between men and women headed households exist in cane growing. The objectives of the research were; to characterize men and women headed cane growing households, to evaluate the relationship between institutional factors and gender, and to determine the differences in economic efficiency between men and women managed sugarcane farms. A multi stage sampling procedure was employed to select 205 active sugarcane farmers. A dual parametric stochastic decomposition technique was employed to disaggregate the components of economic efficiency. FRONTIER 4.1 program was used to derive maximum likelihood estimates and farm level technical efficiencies. A two limit Tobit model was then used to determine the influence of selected socio-economic and institutional variables on farm level technical, allocative and economic efficiency. Results showed that men headed households had a mean technical efficiency of 67.6%, a mean allocative efficiency of 82.48% and a mean economic efficiency of 58.0%. Women headed households had a mean technical efficiency of 72.0%, a mean allocative efficiency of 83.15% and a mean economic efficiency of 62.5%. Land under sugarcane cultivation was the single most important contributor to farmers’ efficiency. Women managed farms were on average more technically, allocative and economically efficient than men managed farms. Membership to outgrower associations in addition to encouraging increase in human capital will be important in enhancing farmers’ efficiency

Determinants of Artificial Insemination Use by Smallholder Dairy Farmers in Lemu-Bilbilo District, Ethiopia

Despite Ethiopia possessing the highest number of livestock in Africa, its benefit to the country and smallholder farmers is small as more than 99% of the cattle are indigenous breeds with low yield. Though the government introduced Artificial Insemination (AI) technology to improve this condition, the adoption rate by smallholder farmers is still low. The objectives of the study were to determine factors affecting adoption and the extent of adoption of among smallholder dairy farmers in Lemu-Bilbilo district of Ethiopia. Data from 196 smallholder dairy farmers was collected using semi-structured questionnaire. The study utilized double-hurdle model for analysis where the two stages were run separately as Probit and truncated regression, respectively. Contacts with extension agents, access to credit, income from milk sales, feeding concentrate to cows and family size influenced the probability of adoption without affecting the extent of adoption. While membership in dairy cooperatives and off-farm income positively affected the probability and extent of AI adoption, distance from AI station and access to crossbred bull services influenced both variables negatively. Education level and efficiency of AI service had positive impact on the extent of AI use; whereas experience in keeping cross-breeds and years of using AI had negative influence on same. Much work should be done to improve the accessibility of AI service by expanding AI stations throughout the district, by training more AI technicians and by encouraging private involvement. Adult education and education in farmers training centres can be the way forward to improve educational status of farmers. Bureau of Agriculture must work to improve access to credit and extension services; established dairy cooperatives have to be strengthened and more need to be established. Keywords: adoption, artificial insemination, double hurdle mode

Competitiveness of Smallholder Milk Production Systems in Uasin Gishu County of Kenya

In Uasin Gishu County of Kenya the rapidly declining household land sizes are a pre-requisite to increased intensification in dairy production. Although various dairy production pathways are used by farmers in the County, it has not been established which one of them would be comparatively competitive to enhance commercialization process and lead to attractive returns to smallholders investing in milk production. The objective of this paper is to estimate competitiveness in the smallholder dairy production sector in Uasin Gishu County. Stratified sampling and proportional sampling followed by random sampling within the stratum were employed to select 246 smallholder dairy farmers. Zero grazing, semi-zero grazing and open grazing production systems are analyzed separately using the gross margin, net margin and return on investment. The results indicate that the gross margin and net margin in smallholder milk production (Kshs/liter) were significantly influenced by the intensification pathway adopted. The gross margin and profit per liter decreased with an increase in the level of intensification with free grazing system and zero grazing having mean profit of Kshs. 20.19 and Kshs. 8.25 respectively. The returns on investment for free grazing, semi–zero grazing and zero grazing milk production systems were 34.07%, 40.22%, 25.67% respectively. Intensive milk production is relatively more profitable, however profitability of milk production/liter however reduced with intensification due to the higher feed and labour costs in more intensive systems. In conclusion, smallholder dairy production was an economically viable enterprise in Uasin Gishu County. Milk producers need extension services and finance to improve on feed production and utilization technologies in order to increase their profitability. Suggested future works include determining the options of improving market access so that it’s positive contribution to dairy competitiveness is strengthened. Keywords: Milk production; competitiveness, profit and intensificatio

Factors Influencing Farmers Participation in Smallholder Irrigation Schemes: The Case of Ntfonjeni Rural Development Area

Most Swazi households depend on rainfed agriculture for food production, which limits the output because of the unreliable rainfall in the country. To mitigate this, the government has invested in rehabilitation of irrigation schemes to reduce the dependence on rainfall. This study therefore determined the factors influencing participation of farmers in small holder irrigation schemes in Swaziland, using Ntfonjeni Rural Development Area (RDA), as a case study. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 96 farming households, 48 participants of local irrigation scheme and 48 non participants. Data was collected using questionnaires. Analysis involved descriptive statistics and probit model. The study revealed that the participation in small holder irrigation schemes is significantly influenced by households distance to the scheme, age and occupation of household head, farm size and access to credit and membership in other groups. Participation improves output and income for households.  Hence it is recommended that peasant farmers should be assisted with credit facilities as an incentive to participate in irrigation schemes. Key words: Participation, small scale irrigation schemes, Probit, Ntfonjeni, Swaziland

Assessing the Economic Efficiency of Dairy Production Systems in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

The objective of this paper is to estimate economic efficiency in the dairy production sector in Uasin Gishu County of Kenya. Zero grazing, semi-zero grazing and open grazing production systems are analyzed separately using the Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier cost function. In a second stage we examine the degree to which the calculated efficiency correlates with a set of explanatory variables using a censored regression model. The results indicate that each of the three milk production systems is relatively inefficient, with potential in all cases for reducing input costs or increasing output. Economic efficiency increased with the level of intensification of milk production, with open grazing, semi-zero grazing and zero grazing attaining 0.43, 0.51 and 0.69 respectively. The maximum likelihood estimates of milk production were an increasing function of cost of feeds and equipment in the three production systems with statistical significance of 5%. The estimated determinants of economic efficiency were positively related with education and social capital, and negatively related with gender, land size and market access. Keywords: Dairy production; Economic efficiency; Frontier cost function and Intensificatio

Evaluation of Effects of Value Addition in Sweet Potatoes on Farm Income in Homa Bay County, Kenya

Sweet potato value addition has become an increasingly important aspect in improving the diversification in its production and expanding the unexploited market amongst consumers. Homa Bay County is among the leading areas of production in Kenya due to its favorable land conditions and rainfall patterns that enables sweet potato to thrive well in the region. Value addition has been introduced in the County mainly by Non-Governmental organizations that work together with the public sector. However some small scale farmers do not practice value addition, partially because little has been done empirically to measure the impact that value addition has on farm income. This study focused on filling in this gap in the existing knowledge on sweet potato value addition. The study was conducted in Homa Bay County and the study sites selected included three sub counties namely Kasipul, Kabondo Kasipul and Ndhiwa. Multi stage sampling technique was used in selecting the study sites and the required sample size determined by proportionate to size sampling method. Interview schedules and observation were used to collect primary data. Multiple regressions were used to analyze the effect of different value addition activities on Income received solely from sweet potatoes. In addition marginal effects were obtained to analyze the effect of each independent variable separately on income. Findings revealed that the more value a farmer added to raw tuber, the better the income obtained from the market. In addition, farmer marketing groups had a stronger bargaining power in the market compared to farmers selling individually. The study therefore recommended that the County government should work closely with the non-governmental organizations to enlighten farmers on the importance of forming farmer groups since most training on value addition, information on prices and market opportunities can be easily disseminated through farmer groups .It is through these trainings that farmers would be able to make rational decisions with regard to production and adding value to get higher incomes. Keywords: Value Addition techniques, Smallholder farmer, Farm income.