ABSTRACT Market liberalization has been one of the most important and widely implemented aspects of the Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) in sub –Saharan Africa (SSA). The general objective of the study was to investigate the effect of cotton market liberalization on the smallholder cotton farmers’ livelihoods in two districts in Shinyanga region, Tanzania. Specificically the study sought to assess cotton production and marketing, examine income change, and establish wellbeing of sm...
ABSTRACT THIS STUDY WILL ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY THE VARIOUS ACTIVITIES THAT BROUGHT ABOUT THE DIVERSIFICATION IN NYERI COUNTY,MATHIRA SUB-COUNTY.THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ARE:TO DETERMINE WHETHER DIVERSIFICATION IS BENEFICIAL TO FARMERS,TO FIND OUT THE DIFFICULTIES IN THE EFFORT TO DIVERSIFY COFFEE PRODUCTION TO OTHER ALTERNATIVES AND TO FIND OUT HOW DIVERSIFICATION HELPS IN MARKETING OF OTHER PRODUCTS.THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS STUDY IS THAT THE FINDINGS COULD BE OF GREAT IMPORTANCE T...
ABSTRACT Dairy production is a biologically efficient system that converts large quantities of roughage in the tropics to milk. Milk production levels are determined by the levels of technologies applied to the dairy enterprise. However, information on levels of adoption of dairy technologies especially in the arid and semi-arid areas (ASALs) of Kenya is scanty. This study thus sought to evaluate the extent of adoption of modern dairy technologies and its impact on milk production in Nzaui Su...
Abstract Chemelil Sugar Company is located along the Awasi nyando road.It started in the year 1965 as a private company. The original shareholding was 57%, private and 43% government ownership. Low cane yields and low cane quality due to low performance of most agricultural activities in land preparation, planting, cane husbandry and harvesting and transport. Cane shortage has been a major limiting factor in the performance of the company crushing capacity The general objective is to analys...
ABSTRACT Regional projects hereby refer to projects implemented in more than one country. The countries of focus are Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. The purpose of the study was to build the thesis that regional projects generated more impacts and significantly contributed to: increased agricultural production and productivity; enhanced stakeholders’ access to financial services; increased incomes; profitable land uses; and up-scaling of technologies, innovations, and manageme...
ABSTRACT Declining size of the farm holdings in most high agricultural potential areas as a result of continuous land fragmentation is currently a major policy concern in Kenya. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of land fragmentation and agro-ecological zones (AEZs) on food security and farm efficiency in Kenya. The study used data collected from 384 farm-households that were randomly selected from three AEZs in the Embu County, using a multistage stratified sampling techni...
ABSTRACT In the early 1990’s, the Kenyan government implemented reforms in the agricultural sector that affected the volatility of agricultural product prices. However, there is lack of empirical evidence on the effects of these reforms on the level and volatility of Irish potato prices. This study evaluates the effects of market reform policies involving the decontrol of input and output prices on the evolution and volatility of Irish potato prices in Nyandarua district. The purpose of thi...
ABSTRACT The horticultural sub-sector in Kenya contributes immensely to the country’s development agenda. Particularly, vegetables are crucial in poverty alleviation with tomato production ranking among the most vibrant enterprises. The crop creates employment and is a source of income for smallholders in rural areas. Despite its potential, tomato production faces major challenges including unreliable markets, low adoption of modern production systems and production inefficiencies. This has...
ABSTRACT Teacher motivation is very important as it directly affects the students’ performance. The performance of agriculture teachers in Imenti South District has been low compared to other districts. This has been characterized by a decline in the agriculture subject results. This might have been contributed by inadequate teacher motivation. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between selected motivational factors and the performance of secondary school agricultur...
ABSTRACT During the period after the adoption of a floating exchange rate regime in Kenya, there has been substantial volatility produced by the regime. In spite of the considerable foreign exchange contribution of Kenya’s French beans subsector to the economy, the effects of exchange rate volatility on it remains unclear. This study evaluated the effects of exchange rate volatility on Kenya’s French bean exports to major markets in the European Union. Monthly secondary data for the perio...
ABSTRACT Access to market plays a vital role in poverty alleviation among smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Agricultural markets provide income generating opportunities for farmers in rural areas hence improving their livelihoods. Avocado fruit has a high demand in both local and export markets due to its nutritional value and industrial use. However, smallholder avocado farmers have not benefited from this increased demand. The purpose of the study was to assess the effects of trans...
ABSTRACT The coffee subsector in Kenya has been characterized by low and declining productivity at farm levels. Over the years, coffee research in Kenya has developed technologies that are aimed at increasing the productivity and improving the quality of coffee produced. Despite many agronomic recommendations, coffee productivity has not increased with increase in acreage. This may be attributed to the interaction between the recommendations and prevailing socioeconomic factors experienced by...
ABSTRACT Mango (Mangifera indicia L.) is one of the most suitable fruit crops in arid and semi-arid areas of Kenya. Its production in Machakos County has generally been fluctuating over the past few years, such that there is no consensus whether the production is increasing or decreasing. In addition, there is a paucity of knowledge about the quantity of mangoes supplied by small-scale farmers. Upon harvest, the mango fruit is highly perishable, therefore farmers have taken up farm-level valu...
ABSTRACT Access to market plays a vital role in poverty alleviation among smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Agricultural markets provide income generating opportunities for farmers in rural areas hence improving their livelihoods. Avocado fruit has a high demand in both local and export markets due to its nutritional value and industrial use. However, smallholder avocado farmers have not benefited from this increased demand. The purpose of the study was to assess the effects of trans...
ABSTRACT Sugarcane crop (Saccharum officinarum) is one of the important industrial crops that are major employers and contributor to the Kenyan economy. Despite the importance attached to this subsector, sugarcane production is dismally performing in Kenya. In a bid to attain self-sufficiency in sugar production, Kenya has made remarkable efforts to develop the subsector. Despite efforts put up by the Government of Kenya and other stakeholders, sugarcane production still faces low productivit...