Abstract: This study sought to find out the potential implications of the National Horticulture Policy 2012 on the growth of the cut flowers export industry in Kenya. The non-implementation of the said policy presents the problem in this study with research questions seeking to find out factors contributing to this state of affairs. The study anchors on the Classical Economic Theory’s key concept of comparative advantage that brings out the aspect of sustenance of Kenya’s competitiveness...
Abstract: The study examines how the prosecution of wildlife crimes has changed over time in Kenya. Specifically, the research analyzed impacts the Wildlife and Conservation Management Act, 2013, and the Wildlife Crimes Prosecution Unit of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions have had, and international cooperation tools utilized by the Wildlife Crimes Prosecution Unit to pursue transnational wildlife crime cases. This research utilizes a mixed method approach. The researcher co...
Abstract: This research focuses on the SME's in the food processing industry in Kenya. Mainly due to the realization that the Agricultural sector especially with regard to food processing is still vastly unexploited and with great potential for contributing in the economic growth of this country. Adoption of Operations based strategies in the : processing of food products is key to realizing the contribution anticipated in this sector in terms of creation of employment and contribution to th...
Abstract: The water hyacinth, an exotic plant of Africa was first introduced about 120 years ago by explorers and naturalists. It is believed to have been imported from South America where it is an indigenous plant. It was first seen in Kenya in the early 1980's and in Lake Victoria in the early 1990's. Its proliferation left unchecked has caused a myriad of problems to the regular lake users, the fishermen, fish traders and the fish processor not to mention the interference with domestic an...
Abstract: Food aid has been the subject of the day especially in famine and crisis prone areas with many people losing their lives as a result of hunger. This may have been as a result of the nature of some places being inhabitable due to the climatic conditions of the place or soil conditions making the place agriculturally unproductive, others may be as a result of political motivations such as civil strife especially in areas where governance in some states is unstable. However, others cl...
Abstract: The study seeks to examine the foreign policy implications of the International Court of Justice border dispute decision on the Kenya- Somalia relations; the focus of the study being Kenya’s foreign policy on its relations with Somalia. The study focused on the period after the International Court of Justice ruling over the maritime border dispute. The study generally examined the impact of the ICJ ruling on Kenya’s foreign policy strategy, the tools of foreign policy for advan...
Abstract: A cross sectional study was conducted to compare the welfare of working donkeys in the rural and urban/peri-urban areas of Mwingi Central Sub-County of Kitui county in Kenya. The assessment of welfare was based on physical welfare indicators, pathological and external parasite infestation, and physiological welfare indicators including the determination of free fecal cortisol concentration. From a total population of 35,361 donkeys in the study area, a sample size of 396 donkeys wa...
Abstract: Sisal cultivation has the potential of contributing immensely towards the economic development of a given country, resulting to improved standards of living. The exportation of sisal fibre can be a great source of foreign exchange in a given country. Further, sisal related industry can be a great source of employment to the global economy. Moreover, sisal is a drought resistant crop, whose cultivation can lead to effective use of the greater arid and semi-arid land in the Sub-Sahar...
Abstract: Annually Kenya produces about 20 million tons of poultry meat worth KES 3.5 billion and 1.3 billion eggs worth KES 9.7 billion. However Indigenous chicken productivity has stagnated due to limited transfer and adoption of improved technologies such as biosecurity practices by rural households. The productivity of Indigenous chicken has been decreasing in Makueni County despite development agencies, both national and international and county government investing heavily in chicken e...
Abstract: The need to enhance food production and the efforts by stakeholders to introduce newfarming innovations in addition to enhancement of agricultural extension servicesin farming areas of Kenya is largely under reported. This study was undertaken at YattaDivision of Kitui County to assess new maize farming technologies, diffusion andadoption by farmers in Yatta Division. Specific objectives were to identify maize farmingtechnologies that exist in Yatta, to identify factors determining...
Abstract: Oviposition decisions are a prominent example of behaviour directly affecting the fitness, abundance, distribution, and population dynamics of holometabolous insects. Due to eggs being immobile and adult insects often not practicing biparental and/or maternal care, gravid females, when ovipositing, should select substrate(s) that maximise fitness of their offspring. Studies have revealed that this selection is influenced by biotic (intra and interspecific competition, parasitism, l...
Abstract: The importance of bananas cannot be underestimated worldwide. The main study objective was to assess the adoption and commercialization of tissue culture bananas in the riverine areas of the semi-arid areas of Lower Eastern region of Kenya. The specific objectives included determining respondents socio-economic, environmental and policy factors affecting adoption of tissue culture bananas in the region. This study was necessary due to the fact that there were many production gaps t...
integrating behavioural and physiological variables to predict avian responses to climate change in the Kalahari Desert Predicting how species will respond to climate change requires an understanding of how temperature affects behaviour, physiological tolerance limits and adaptive capacity. In this thesis, I investigated the temperature-dependency of physiology and behaviour of birds in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa
Abstract: Inadequate and erratic rainfall in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) of Kenya that are accompanied by long dry spells lead to drought. This leads to low feed availability. Inadequate quality and quantity of feeds is the major constraint to livestock production in the ASALs of Kenya. It is the major input factor to livestock production and accounts for 60-70% of the production cost. There is therefore a need to introduce climate smart forage species in order to expand the forage ...
Abstract: The desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria (Orthoptera: Acrididae) is a destructive pest when gregarious but harmless in solitary form. Reports demonstrate the involvement of aggregation pheromones in mediating behavior of the desert locust in the gregarious phase. Phenylacetonitrile (PAN), the major component of the adult aggregation pheromone, can act as an adult aggregant for both sexes and as a male homosexual avoidance pheromone. However, the origin of PAN and its biosynthesis p...