Factors influencing farmer participation in the adoption of horticultural innovations in Kakamega and Machakos districts of Kenya

Abstract

A survey was undertaken in Kakamega and Machakos districts of Kenya with the aim of studying the factors influencing farmer participation in the adoption of horticultural innovations. The study examined the role of farmer participation in the adoption of better horticultural production practices, it investigated the influence of farmer personal charactertstlcs on participation in horticultural programmes and examined the influence of market accessibility to farmer participation in horticultural improvement programmes in both districts. The two districts were compared to explain the difference in participation in horticultural extension. In the study each district was partitioned into five clusters based on the agro ecological zones. Ten farmers were randomly selected from each cluster to give a total sample of 100 farmers. A questionnaire was administered to each of the respondents and the results were statistically analysed. The study found out that farmers' participation in horticultural improvement programmes positively influenced their adoption of improved farm practices in both study districts, with farmers from Machakos showing higher participation scores thus scoring higher in adoption of improved farm practices. The research found that farmer personal charactenstics-craqe, marriage status and educational status) influenced farmer participation in horticultural improvement programmes in both .. districts. The study also found that accessibility to horticultural markets encouraged farmers to participate in horticultural improvement programmes in both districts, with the effect more pronounced in Machakos. Policy should focus on setting up an agricultural extension service that encourages the participative approach. These extension services should not be general for all the districts in the country but rather they should be focused and specific for each district depending on the characteristics of the farmers in the district, the infrastructure, market accessibility, post harvest losses and type of the agricultural enterprise.