Determinants Of Adoption Of Modern Technologies In Beekeeping Projects: The Case Of Women Groups In Kajiado County, Kenya

Abstract

Modern technologies in beekeeping have advanced over the years. However, it has been observed that satisfying the basic needs of the rural people to improve their living standards by adopting modern beekeeping technologies is still a challenge despite these technological advances. This is due to the relative slow adaption rates of the new technologies. This study was, therefore, designed to find out the determinants of adoption of modern technologies in beekeeping projects in Kenya, with particular emphasis on the women beekeeping groups in Kajiado County in Kenya. The objectives of the study were to establish the social/cultural factors that influence adoption of modern beekeeping technologies; determine how managerial factors influence adoption of the new technologies; assess how institutional factors influence the adoption and also determine the influence of economic factors on adoption of modern beekeeping technologies. The target population for this study were the beekeeping women groups in Kajiado County in Kenya where a sample size of 116 respondents were drawn. The study employed descriptive research design with the use of personal interviews, questionnaires, observation guides and key informant interview guides to collect data from the sampled respondents. The collected data was cleaned, edited, coded and then entered into SPSS (version 21) for analysis. The findings of the study revealed that socio-cultural factors highly influenced adoption of beekeeping technologies among the women beekeeping groups in Kajiado County. Among the social /cultural factors identified were sex of the house hold head, marital status, education levels, size of the house hold, size of land and cultural beliefs. Further, the study revealed that managerial skills (human, technical and conceptual skills) are very necessary for adoption of modern technologies; and that they are acquired through training and awareness creation. It was also found out that institutions like finance institutions and extension services do positively influence adoption of new technologies through farmer education and capacity building. The study further revealed that economically, movable comb hives (New technology) produced higher net returns per colony compared with local hives (Old technology) and that adoption of new technologies increased farmers yields and net benefits. The study therefore, concluded that social/cultural factors, managerial skills, institutional and economic factors actually do influence adoption of new beekeeping technologies in one way or the other and therefore recommended that Extension Officers responsible for introducing new technologies should always address these factors before and during introduction of new technologies.