Farmers’ Preferences for the Design of Fruit Fly Pest-Free Area (FF-PFA) in Kerio-Valley: A Latent-Class Approach

Fruit flies are a very important group of pests for many countries due to their potential to cause damage in fruits thus restricting access to international markets for plant products that can host fruit flies. The high probability of introduction of fruit flies associated with a wide range of hosts’ results in restrictions imposed by many importing countries to accept fruits from areas in which these pests are established. For these reasons, establishment and maintenance of pest free areas for fruit flies (FF-PFAs) is receiving considerable attention in the current policy debates. Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) has taken the lead to establish and help maintain FF-PFAs in the main mango production zones of Elgeyo-Marakwet County of Kenya. However, as the ultimate success of the programme depends on farmers’ judgment and acceptance, acquiring information about potential demand is of paramount importance for policy advice. In this paper, we assess the demand in terms of consumer preferences and willingness to pay for FF-PFAs using a stated choice experiment method (SCE). A novel feature of this paper is that it focuses on how the FF-PFA should be designed and presented. Results from the latent class model (LCM) reveal that farmers prefer FF-PFAs featuring training, market information with sales contract, large benefits to other mango value-chain actors and when they are recommended by officials. Keywords: FF-PFA, SCE, LCM, Farmers’ preference, Mang

Testing for Cointegration and Granger Causality: Evidence from Selected Indigenous Egg Markets in Kenya

Despite the increasing consumer demand for indigenous eggs, particularly among the urban rich in Kenya, empirical analysis of spatial market integration has received limited attention. This study is an attempt to analyze the existence of market integration and price transmission among four selected indigenous egg markets. The study uses secondary data obtained on prices of eggs on a weekly basis during the year 2014. Analysis of Cointegration and Granger causality was attained using Johansen cointegration approach. Interestingly, results indicate integration in the indigenous eggs markets in Kenya. While prices of eggs in Kisumu and Eldoret towns Granger-caused each other, there was no evidence to account for price interactions among the rest of the markets. These findings strongly indicate asymmetric price transmission within the markets. Taking advantage of the promising niche provided by indigenous eggs requires policies aimed at unlocking information asymmetry as well as promoting market access among farmers. Key words: Market integration, Granger causality, indigenous eggs, Keny

Nexus between Climate Change and Food security in the East Africa Region: An Application of Autoregressive Modelling Approach

This study is an attempt to unpack the existing link between climate change variability and food security in the East Africa Community (EAC) region. Specifically, the paper elaborates the main issues in climate change discourse and its implication to the food security equation in the EAC region. A plethora of empirical literature exists in the area of climate change not only at the regional level but also globally. Using secondary time series panel data, the study links cereal production patterns with rainfall and temperature dynamics for from 1961 to 2012. The data was obtained from the Food and Agricultural organization (FAOSTAT) as well as the World Bank knowledge management center. Econometric data analysis was attained using Eviews version 7 and GMDH version 3.8.3 statistical software. The findings of the Autoregressive model indicates that rainfall and temperature are inevitably changing. These findings offer important policy insights on the role played by climate change variability on food security in the EAC region