Land Size Change and Its Impact on Pineapple Production and Rural Livelihoods in Gatundu North of Kiambu County, Kenya

Abstract

In Kenya, the shrinking size of farm plots in most high-potential agricultural areas as a result of ongoing land subdivision is presently a key policy problem. Land sub-division has been a significant cause of concern for policymakers and economists similarly from the time when the introduction of land reforms started in the mid-nineteenth century. The revived concern stems from emerging countries' diminishing agricultural output, farm efficiency, and continuing food security dilemma. Attempts to evaluate previous research to weigh the impact of land size on farm productivity and long-term livelihoods were found to be equivocal. As a result, the goal of this research was to weigh the impact of land size changes on pineapple output and rural lives in the study area. The following objectives guided the research: determine the effects of household land size changes on returns from pineapple production; establish factors that explain land size changes; examine the household livelihood diversification strategies; determine the land use planning and policy options that would ensure sustainable rural livelihoods. The current study was hypothesized in order to understand it better. A T-test was used to understand the change in the land size of the parents and that of children which was noted to have a significant difference in size. The bulk of the respondents had inherited land, which some had subdivided further into smaller sections, according to the survey. In the pineapple zones of the study region, the impact of land size change on pineapple production and livelihood sustainability was shown to be negative. It was discovered that for households focusing solely on pineapple farming, the minimum land size required to achieve the threshold level of household sustainability was greater than 3 acres (1.2 ha). Based on its findings, this study advises that the government (both national and county government) develop regulations limiting the minimum acreage that can be subdivided in order to ensure sustainable lives in the Kanyoni sub-location. There is need to address the production related and market related challenges that pineapple farmers are facing in order to make pineapple farming attractive and viable to majority of farmers in Kanyoni Sub-location. Increased technological adoption, farmer training, and improved finance services are among the other actions that should be addressed to boost output and income levels.