The influence of external actors in crop farming:Strategies adopted by small-scale farmers in Laikipia

Abstract

Over the past three decades there has been tremendous land use change in Laikipia district occasioned by increasing migration of small-scale farmers from the districts surrounding Laikipia. This trend has resulted to a strain on the limited and fragile natural resources in the district and hence has been a threat to sustainable use of the resources. Small-scale farmers are migrating to Laikipia and have limited knowledge regarding the potential and productivity of the area. In addition, the plots on which they settle are subdivided without taking into consideration the ecological potential of the land. The current . study therefore is aimed at examining the influence of external actors in crop farming strategies adopted by the small-scale farmers in the midst of escalating environmental I degradation and persistent crop failure. This was prompted by the fact that most studies tend to focus on indigenous farmers in high and medium potential areas and not paying attention to the migrant farmers in a new ecological set-up who have to perpetuate farming activities but in a completely different set-up.