Socio-economic factors influencing the intensity of use of improved fallows, indigenous rock phospha te and biomass transfer in food production in Western Kenya

Abstract

Due to high population In western Kenya, farm sizes have dwindled over the vears. Most of the land has been farmed continously for years with little or no external inputs to replenish the used up nutrients Consequently the "tired soils constrain agricultural productivity. Various soil fertility replenishment technologies like improved fallow, rock phosphate and biomass transfer have been disseminated in the area b y ICRAF. The objective of this study was thus to identify and analyze the factors that determine intensity of use of these technologies and to evaluate their returns at different intensities of use. A total of 320 farmers were randomly sampled frm five districts in western Kenya. namely. Kakarncga. Busia. Rachuonyo, Siaya and Vihiga districts, Tobit model was used to identify and analyze factors affecting intensity of adoption, Partial budgets were drawn and marginal rates of return calculated under different intensities, The results revealed that though some of the farmers have adopted the technologies. intensity of use is still sub-optimal compared to the recommended rates, Only 41 (Yo of the farmers using tithonia diversifolia apply IOOOkg and above per hectare as opposed to the recommended rate of 5000kg per hectare Majority of the farmers were using between 700-1000 kg of tithonia per hectare, In the case of rock phosphate, majority of the farmers reported an application rate of below the suggested rate of 250kg/hectare with majority (73%) using an average of 150kg/ hectare On average. adopters of improved fallow had devoted 9% of their total farm size on the technology Partial budgets showed an average net benefit of Ksh 9.26 I. Ksho. 712. and Ksh 6.1 (J I per hectare for improved fallow. biomass transfer and rock phosphate. respectively Regarding factors affecting Intensity of use, age. contact with the technology promoters. and technology profitability significantly influenced intensity of use of improved fallow In the case of iithonia diverstfolia. intensity of use was influenced by education. contact with the tcchnologx promoters. labour demand and technology profitability, Intensity of use of rock phosphate w as significantly influenced by contact with the technology promoters. technology profitability and education, among other factors. The study therefore recommends frequent contact of the technology promoters with farmers because this would assist in availing seeds and information. Strengthening of grassroots participation in the dissemination of the technologies is also recommended. This can be done by use of community-based organizations. There is need to improve information flow on the improved technologies by establishing and strengthening networks of information exchange among relevant and interested organizations like churches and community based organizations. The majority or the nonadopters though neighbours of adopters. lacked information on the technologies. This is because researchers concentrated only on the farmers they were working with. This shows a need for the researchers to modify their approach and methods employed in on-farm research to ensure that information flows to all. The approach used should be cost effective Further. a few farmers have already acquired information about the three technologies As a result, there should be encouragement to form groups and work together through farmers' field schools because this would ensure adoption and scaling up the use or the technologies. As intensity of use of the three technologies increased. returns to investment also increased. Farmers need to be taught the importance of moving from their low intensities of Lise to optimum levels Finally. rock phosphate was not readily available to farmers. There is need to find out the major factors affecting its local availability