Abstract:
Poultry and fish are important sub-sectors in Kenya providing rural farmer households with income and contributing to their food and nutritional security. Although ownership of these enterprises is not gender specific women are the ones involved in taking care of them. The study utilized cross-section data from a sample of 386 poultry farmers and 278 fish farmers randomly selected from three counties which are Nakuru, Kisii and Kirinyaga Counties. The feed demand for both poultry and fish enterprises were analyzed by estimating translog cost functions and a system of cost share functions for the major feed types used for poultry and fish feeding in Kenya. Major feed types for poultry included grains, vegetables, and mixed feed while for fish they included own made feed, mash and floating pellets. Descriptive results shows that quantities of poultry feed demanded by an average farmer were 55.47 kilograms of grains, 48.37 kilograms of vegetables and 71 kilograms of mixed feed. The results show no significant differences between male headed and female headed households with respect to feed demand. Results for fish production analysis show that quantities of fish feed demanded by an average farmer were 42.6 kilograms of own made feed, 42.36 kilograms of mash and 62.76 kilograms of floating pellets. Econometric results show that poultry and fish feeds are generally price inelastic and price elasticities tend to decrease with rising expenditure level. The study found out that most of the poultry feeds have complementary relationships while those of fish exhibited both complimentary and substitutionary relationships. For instance, in poultry production, grain and mixed feed pair, and vegetable and mixed feed pair all exhibited a complementary relationship. In fish production, own made feed and mash feed pair, own made feed and pellet pair and mash and pellets pair exhibit a complementary relationship for the whole sample, but in Kirinyaga own made feed and pellet pair exhibit a substitutionary relationship. In poultry production female headed households were found to have a higher own price elasticity in absolute terms than male headed households for vegetables and mixed feed. The study, therefore, recommends that policy makers develop policies aimed at reducing the prices of feed especially manufactured poultry and fish feed through the adoption of alternative protein ingredients, the most important and expensive component, in feed manufacture. Policy makers should also develop policies that are aimed at reducing the prices of other nn protein ingredients in poultry and fish feed manufacture to reduce the cost per unit and thus lower feed prices. Moreover farmers especially poultry farmers whose household heads are female should be advised to form groups through which they can purchase feed in bulk and enjoy the benefit of economies of purchases.