Impacts of capital and land constraints on the economics of new livestock technology in western Kenya

Abstract

The introduction of new forages and milk marketing improvements was projected to permit even the smallest modeled farms in a western Kenya region to adopt dual-purpose goats and thereby improve family income and nutrition. Expanded credit permitted modeled medium and large farms, especially, to vigorously exploit these innovations; credit also expanded income more than did goat management improvements. Because credit, extension assistance, marketing improvements, and new forages will leave projected incomes of small farmers below those of medium and large farmers in the study region, development of off-farm jobs may still be necessary to supplement the incomes of this fast growing group. The marginal value of capital for medium and large farmers with new livestock technology was high. This suggests that government-subsidized credit might be unnecessary. With proper infrastructural and legal support, private capital markets might develop as new livestock technology and marketing improvements expand the demand for borrowing