Influence of farm enterprise diversification on socio-economic status among sugarcane farmers in Bumula sub-county Bungoma county Kenya

Abstract

The agricultural sector is the backbone of Kenya’s economy and the means of livelihood for most of our rural population. Farm enterprise diversification is critical to uplifting the living standards of the people as well as generating rapid economic growth. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of farm enterprise diversification on socio-economic status among sugarcane farmers in Bumula Sub County, Bungoma County. The objectives of this study were; to determine the influence of horticulture farming, to establish the influence of dairy farming, to examine the influence of poultry keeping and to investigate the influence of crop farming on socio-economic status among sugarcane farmers in Bumula sub county, Bungoma County. Therefore the research questions for the study were; what is the influence of horticulture farming, what is the influence of dairy farming, what is the influence of poultry keeping and what is the influence of crop farming on socio-economic status among sugarcane farmers in Bumula sub county, Bungoma County? The study adopted the descriptive survey research design to assess the socio-economic status of farmers. The target population was 20,294 cane farmers and 19 AEOs hence a total of 20,303. The sample for this study was 377. The sampling technique used was simple random sampling where farmers were grouped into sub-locations and randomly selected. The research instrument that was used in this study for data collection was questionnaire for the farmers and AEOs. Data analysis used frequency tables and percentages to analyze both quantitative and qualitative data. The findings indicate that farm enterprise diversification increases income for farmers in that various options for income generation are available. Therefore overreliance on sugarcane alone for income is inadequate and does not alleviate poverty. Therefore cane farmers are advised to venture into other farming ventures to boost their income and hence raise their living standards