Factors Influencing the Performance of Small Scale Tea Farmers Projects in Embu North Sub County, Embu County Kenya

Abstract

The contribution of the tea sector to the economy of Kenya is enormous as it accounts for 4% of the GDP and indirectly supports 10% of Kenya’s population. The main purpose of this study was to assess the factors influencing the performance of small scale tea farmer’s projects in Embu north sub county, Embu county Kenya. The study was guided by the following objectives; To determine how farmers financial education influence the performance of small scale tea farmer’s projects in Embu north sub county; to determine how access to credit influence the performance of small scale tea farmer’s projects in Embu north sub county; to determine how Govervance in KTDA influence the performance of small scale tea farmer’s projects in Embu north sub county; and to examine how social economic characteristics influence the performance of small scale tea farmer’s projects in Embu north sub county. The focus of this study was built upon the economic theory. The study adopted descriptive research design descriptive research involves gathering data that describe events and then organizes, tabulates, depicts and describes the data collection.The study targeted two factories, 794 small scale tea farmers and 119 employees working in those factories including the top managers. This study used purposive and random sampling methods. Questionnaires and interviews discussion were used to collect data from farmers and employees, qualitative data was analyzed using narratives and presented using themes while quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS version 21 and presented descriptively using frequency tables, percentages and through inferential statistics using regression. The findings of the study revealed that the performance of small scale farmers in the tea sector depended on the factors under investigation. Lastly, the responses indicated that the majority of the respondents, 97 (39%) felt that the governance in KTDA was the most important factor influencing the performance influencing the performance of small scale tea farmers; 43 (17%) stated extent of credit access as the most important factor; 80 (32%) indicated that farmers’ financial education was the most important factor and finally 28 (12%) indicated that social economic characteristic cs was the most important factor