Browsing by Author "Mshenga, Patience"
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Item Determinants of adoption of butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) farming among small-holders in Suba district, Kenya(2012) Isaboke, Hezron N.; Mshenga, Patience; Mutai, B.K.; Saidi, M.Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) is an emerging economic crop in Kenya with ready market and high nutritional value. Despite this, its adoption as a major cash crop in Suba District has remained low. The aim of the study was to investigate the determinants of adoption and extent of adoption of butternut squash. The study area was chosen due to persistence of poverty despite the fact that the area has conditions that are favourable for the production of high value crops like butternut squash. Cross-sectional data were collected from a sample of 120 farmers selected through multi-stage sampling. The data were subjected to the Heckman two-step regression analysis to obtain the determinants of adoption and the extent of adoption. Data obtained revealed that the adopters of butternut squash were mostly the male married farmers. Results further showed that household size, land tenure, access to credit, membership to a group, market information and access to extension services significantly and positively affected the likelihood of adopting butternut squash; while age, participation in off-farm activities and distance to the market were significant with negative effect. Education, access to market information, man hours and years of experience were significantly related to adoption of the crop with positive effects, while land size was statistically significant with a negative effect. This study therefore, recommends that government and other stakeholders should formulate and implement policies related to promotion of adoption and production of butternut squash.Item The Effect of Butternut Squash (Cucurbita moschata) on the Incomes of the Small-Holders in Suba District, Kenya(2012) Isaboke, Hezron N.; Mshenga, Patience; Saidi, M.Butternut squash is an emerging economic crop in Kenya with ready market and high nutritional value. It was introduced to promote food security and enhance the incomes of the small-holder farmers in Suba district. However it is not clear whether butternut could address the problem of low income among small-holder farmers. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of butternut squash on the incomes of the small-holders. The choice of the study area was due to persistence of poverty problem and existence of butternut squash in Suba District. Cross-sectional data was collected from a sample of 120 farmers who obtained using multi-stage sampling. The small-holder farmers were characterized using descriptive statistics. Gross Margin analysis was used to determine the contribution of butternut squash to total crop income. Gross margin analysis results revealed that butternut squash was a profitable enterprise similar to the other horticultural crops. Results showed that on average butternut squash contributes 38.55% with a standard deviation of 12.2% towards the total crop gross margin/ha. This study therefore, recommends that government and other stakeholders should formulate and implement effective policies related to promotion of butternut squash farming and marketing.Item Influence of institutional factors on Sorghum production in Nakuru County, Kenya(Academe Research Journals, 2012-12) Ogeto, Robert M.; Mshenga, Patience; Cheruiyot, Erick; Onyari, Charles N.Agriculture in Kenya plays an important role in development as it contributes about 24% of GDP, 75% of industrial raw materials and 60% of export earnings and about 18% of the total formal employment. It also employs about 3.8 million people in farm, livestock production and fishing, while an estimated 4.5 million other people are employed in agriculture-related off-farm activities. Cereals including maize, sorghum, millet, and wheat among others largely constitute the major food items for many households, hence underlining their importance in ensuring food security. In particular, the utility of sorghum is in its climatic adaptability and household as well as industrial use. Hence it is not only a food security crop, but also a major income earner. Despite its utility, there is a remarkably low production of sorghum among Kenyan farmers against food security challenges. This paper provides insights into the institutional characteristics of farmers and how they influence their participation in its production. The institutional factors under study included access to sorghum seed, access to credit, access to contract farming, access to market information and group membership. Simple random and snowball sampling methods were applied in collecting data from 207 farmers using a questionnaire. Data collected was analyzed by the double hurdle model. Only access to seed, access to extension, access to market information and access to group membership were significantly influencing sorghum production in the study area. It was recommended that seed companies should avail improved sorghum varieties and farmers are encouraged to adopt them. There was also need for stakeholders to institutionalize access to extension, contract farming and group membership among farmers.Item Sorghum production for food security: A socioeconomic analysis of sorghum production in Nakuru County, Kenya(Academic Journals, 2013-12-05) Ogeto, Robert M.; Cheruiyot, Erick; Mshenga, Patience; Onyari, Charles N.Kenya’s Vision 2030 identifies agriculture as one of the key sectors to deliver sustainable economic growth and improved livelihoods for the poor in the rural areas. However, the sector continues to face several endemic and emerging constraints that require special attention. During the first two decades after independence, Kenya’s economy grew at an average rate of 6 percent per year and this was substantially driven by a robust agriculture sector. However, until about five years ago, the overall economy barely grew, partly as a result of a decline in agricultural activities. The agriculture sector continues to face challenges in production due to frequent and prolonged drought hence the need for drought resistant crops like sorghum. The utility of sorghum is in its climatic adaptability and household as well as industrial use. However, there is a remarkably low production as well as consumption among Kenyan communities against the food security challenges. This paper provides insights into the socio-economic characteristics of farmers and the factors that influence their participation in its production. Simple random and snowball sampling methods were applied in collecting data from 207 farmers using a questionnaire. Data collected was analyzed using the double hurdle model. Of the factors under study, only land tenure, gender, farm size and educational level were significantly influencing sorghum production in the study area. It was recommended that more women should be encouraged to participate in sorghum production as it was found that they participated in sorghum production more than men.