Determinants of Stevia (stevia rebaudiana) Adoption by Small Scale Farmers in Kericho District, Kenya

The aim of this study was to determine the socio-economic and institutional factors influencing Stevia adoption in Kericho District Kenya. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from farmers both adopters and non adopters of Stevia through face to face interviews where purposive sampling methods were employed respectively and 150 respondents were contacted in total. Heckman two-step regression analysis was used to determine factors affecting Stevia adoption as well as the extent of adoption. The results showed that group membership, gender, education extension services and individual land ownership significantly and positively affected the adoption of Stevia while age was significant with negative effect.  Household size, farm size, revenue from Stevia and access to extension services significantly and positively influenced the extent of adoption. In conclusion, there is need for more effort in terms of extension service so as to encourage farmers to adopt improved crop varieties through demonstrations on farmers' fields, field days, farm visits and agricultural shows and also development of institutional strategies to support farmers. Therefore policy interventions is recommended to enhance access to credit, reduce illiteracy levels among farmers through training and extension services. Keywords: Stevia, adoption, socioeconomic factor

Does Economic Growth Influences the Relationship Between Financial Intermediaries and Securities Market Development in Kenya?

Available evidence from previous studies show that financial intermediaries influence operations at the securities market. Another strand of literature also show that economic growth has a positive influence on securities market operations. A research gap still exists as to how this influence of financial intermediary development on securities markets may be influenced by economic growth. This study examined the relationship between financial intermediary development and securities market development in Kenya and attempted to answer a critical question of how economic growth influences the relationship between commercial banks and securities market in Kenya? Financial intermediary development was proxied by the ratio of the gross domestic bank savings to GDP, while securities market development was proxied by an index nuancing the market capitalization ratio, value traded ratio, and market turnover ratio. The empirical results show that there is a distinct positive relationship between financial intermediary development and securities market development in in Kenya. The results further show that this positive relationship was moderated by the level of economic growth within the economy. The study recommends that any strategy to develop the securities market must also address the development of the financial intermediaries through savings mobilization as well as macroeconomic stability and growth. Keywords: Commercial Banks, Financial Intermediary Development, Securities Market Development, Nairobi Securitas Exchange

Determinants of Tea Marketing Channel Choice and Sales Intensity among Smallholder Farmers in Kericho District, Kenya

The aim of this study was to determine the socio-economic and institutional factors influencing smallholder farmers’ choice on tea marketing channel in Kericho District. A semi-structured and pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data from smallholder tea farmers through face to face interview. Multistage sampling procedure was employed to contact 155 respondents. The study used Heckman two stage model to identify factors that determine tea growers’ choice of marketing channel and sales volume decisions once a marketing channel has been selected. The results showed that age, gender, education in years, farming years and second payments significantly affected the participation in marketing channel. Tea production, farming years, age and second payment significantly affected the intensity of participation.  The results of the study provide an insights to the policy makers on what needs to be done to promote and improve farmer-market linkages hence improve farmers’ incomes from their farming and marketing activities. Keywords: Tea, Marketing channel, socioeconomic factors

Growth Effects of Non-Devolved Government Expenditure: Evidence from ARDL Approach to Co integration

Although it is theoretically expected that fiscal decentralization leads to efficient provision of local public services and induces economic growth, there is a mixed outcome of the non-devolved and devolved effect on economic expansion across earlier empirical studies. This could be due to non growth-enhancing expenditures that crowd-out outlays that are meant to boost economic growth. Further, devolved allocation is small, about 15 % of total revenue, to full stimulate economic growth in Kenya. However, national government spends a substantial amount in counties to complement devolved expenditure. Therefore, the issue of which non-devolved expenditure by national government can foster permanent movements in county economic growth becomes core. The panel ARDL and Kao co integration technique were used to test the linkage between non-devolved expenditure and economic growth in Kenya during the period, 2013-2017. The panel ARDL regression results revealed that the effect of non-devolved expenditure on economic growth was positive and significant in both long-run and short-run. The findings provide a basis for recommendation on the need for national government to increase budget allocation and execution in counties to complement devolved expenditure and also stimulate county economic growth in long-run. Keywords: Non-devolved, Economic growth, Kenya, ARDL, Expenditure, Panel DOI: 10.7176/JESD/10-14-12 Publication date:July 31st 201

Factors Determining Choice of Clean Domestic Energy by Households: Evidence from Nakuru Municipality, Kenya

As in most developing countries, many attempts have been made and are continuously made to in Kenya to reduce dependence of forests as a source of energy through introduction of bans on logging and campaigns to households to shift to cleaner energy sources. Attempts through rural electrification program as envisaged in the energy policy of Kenya have been geared towards expanding clean energy access to previously unconnected sections of the population. Yet the majority households in urban areas as exemplified by Nakuru municipality residents of Kenya continue to depend on semi-clean fuels as primary source of energy. Using survey data from 300 randomly selected households in Nakuru Municipality, we sought to empirically determine the factors that influence household choice of clean domestic energy. A Multinomial logit model results showed that household’s choice between clean and semi-clean fuels was influenced by Socio-economic and demographic factors, and government energy policies. In particular,  the likelihood of clean fuels was significantly higher in households with higher relative incomes while the likelihood of use of “dirty” and semi – clean fuels was higher with middle and low income households. Based on the study results we draw policy implications. Keywords: Energy, Choice and Domestic Fuels, Multinomial Logit, Kenya, Nakuru Municipalit

Evaluation of Technical Efficiency of Rabbit Production in Buuri Sub -County, Meru County, Kenya

Current rabbit production in Buuri Sub county stands at 1.2 Metric tons of meat against a potential of 8.4 Metric tons per year. This productivity gap is wide and indicative of poor and low performance of the enterprise in rural areas of Kenya and specifically Buuri Sub County. Thus the main objective of this study was to investigate the technical efficiency of rabbit production and its contribution to household food production and family welfare under conditions of resource scarcity. The technical efficiency of rabbit production was evaluated to explain the paradox behind the low productivity of rabbit enterprises in Buuri sub-county. A multistage simple random sampling procedure was employed to get 139 respondents for the study. A semi structured and pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data from the selected small holder rabbit producers through face to face interview of the household heads. The study used descriptive statistics for the analysis of socioeconomic and institutional attributes of the rabbit producers. The stochastic frontier production parametric method was used for the efficiency analysis. The results showed mean technical efficiencies among the rabbit farms were 36.83%. The farmers are not producing the rabbit output at minimum costs.  Further the study found that the capital is the most important rabbit output enhancing variable among all studied parameters. The Tobit model results indicated that increased access to education, trainings and credit to the farmers led to improved rabbit efficiency. More importantly county government and non-governmental agencies should make deliberate attempts for improved farmer-extension and research linkage for better technology transfer and adoption by farmers, leading to more productive rabbit enterprises hence improved incomes and thus reducing poverty level among farmers. Keywords: Technical efficiency, rabbit breeds, efficiency, rabbit keeping, backyard farming enterprises, stochastic frontie

Determinants of Market Participation among Small-Scale Pineapple Farmers in Kericho County, Kenya

Pineapple (Ananas comosus) is one of the major cash crops grown in Kericho County, Kenya specifically Bureti district. In the study area, pineapples have been perceived to have high market value, resulting in tradeoffs with staple food. Despite pineapples market value, its market participation has not been studied and quantified. Therefore, this paper aims to determine the factors influencing market participation and its extent. A simple random sampling approach was used to select a sample of 150 small-scale pineapple farmers and primary data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaires. The data was analyzed using the descriptive statistics and Heckman two-stage model. The results showed that age, gender, education level and pineapple yields significantly influenced the decision to participate in pineapple marketing. Further, gender, price information, group marketing, marketing experience, vehicle ownership and marketing under contract significantly influenced the extent of market participation. Based on the findings policy implication was drawn for improving the household income in the study area. Key words: Heckman two-stage model, market participation, small-scale pineapple farmers

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

The role of fencing on marginal productivitiy of labour, land and capital in ASAL regions of Kenya

Good land management strategies are known to play an important role in improving agricultural production. There lacks empirical studies that have evaluated the contribution of fence as a productive investment in Kenya. Fencing was treated as a productive input in the production function alongside capital, labour and land. Cross-sectional primary data is used to achieve the objectives of the study. The Cobb-Douglas (CD) specification was used in measuring the contribution of fence to production and in measuring its role in the marginal productivity of labour, land and capital in semi arid Kenya. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression results indicated that fencing improves agricultural production and that it improves the marginal productivity of land. The policy implication is that since fence has led to a series of positive benefits, there is need for the government to recognize the positive impact of fence and empower those communities who would wish to fence their land