Browsing by Author "Mwaura, Eric Kimani"

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    Technical Efficiency among Smallholders Dairy Cattle Farmers in Nyandarua County, Kenya.
    (Kenyatta University, 2025-06) Mwaura, Eric Kimani
    Dairy farming is crucial due to its significant role in Kenya’s economy. It enhances the nation's food security, provides farmers with a source of revenue, and creates jobs. The majority of milk consumed worldwide originates from dairy cattle. The rearing of dairy cattle has supplanted tea and coffee plantations as the primary source of livelihood across Kenya's Rift Valley and central regions. Despite the sector remaining an integral part of Kenya's economy, overall dairy production has decreased over the past 20 years, even with an increase in cattle herds. Furthermore, despite the likelihood of increased demand for dairy products and milk due to urban population growth, Kenya's dairy farming industry has not yet reached its full potential. While dairy production has been rising in Nyandarua, studies demonstrate that there has not been a proportionate increase in productivity per cow when compared to neighboring counties.The attainment of maximal technical efficiency at the farm level is essential due to the scarcity of production resources (particularly land) for dairy farming and to boost food availability, which is among the Kenyan government's key targets. This assessment had two main objectives: to estimate the technical efficiency of smallholder dairy cattle farmers in the Kinangop sub-county of Nyandarua County, Kenya, and to identify the factors that influence their technical efficiency.A non-experimental research approach was adopted, and cross-sectional data were gathered using questionnaires completed by a sample of farmers. Since a complete population list was unavailable, a stratified sample from the ward was used to conveniently select participants for the study. Quantitative input and output data were collected from each sampled farmer. Multiple regression analysis was employed to identify elements that alter technical efficiency, and a maximum-likelihood estimation approach was used to establish the stochastic frontier production function.From the results, it was concluded that farmers were 71.1% technically efficient, with 95% of the dairy farmers performing above average and only 5% below average. The maximum likelihood estimates indicated that labor, acres allocated to fodder production, and concentrate and fodder fed to animals per day had positive coefficients, although these were statistically insignificant. However, expenditure on animal health had a negative, but statistically insignificant, impact on technical efficiency. The study also established that the level of education is a key determinant of efficiency in Kinangop.This study recommends that smallholder dairy farmers in Kinangop sub-county should strive to enhance their technical efficiency. This includes judiciously hiring labor to aid in farm operations, joining various societies that can provide critical services like credit, consistently using concentrates and fodder in dairy farming, and actively practicing hay and silage preservation. The study further recommends that the county government of Nyandarua should develop and implement policies that assist citizens in accessing higher education and extension services.