Hindrance to Adoption of Drip Irrigation by Small-Scale Farmers in Kitui County, Kenya
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Date
2025-09
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
Climate change and its associated impacts has caused a huge gap in the availability affordability and the provision of water resources. Globally, the availability of water has been exacerbated by rapid population growth, industrialization and urbanization which has increased the demand for clean available and affordable water. To ease this scarcity, rainwater harvesting rainwater and drip irrigation technologies have been touted as viable strategies towards improved crop productivity and food security in arid and semi-arid regions. In this respect, research was necessary to determine the factors hindering the adoption of drip irrigation in Kitui County, Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to find out how associated costs, access to credit to farmers, farmers’ knowledge, and water availability affected the adoption and non- adoption of drip irrigation in the County. The study used a descriptive exploratory research design to target small holder farmers. It employed probability and non-probability sampling, to obtain 60 farmers from a total population of 200 farmers who were using drip irrigation in Kitui County and 60 farmers from the total population of 155farmers who were both using furrow and drip irrigation which was derived from 2022 farmers using Nassiumas’s (2000) formula. Structured questionnaires and scheduled interviews and secondary sources were used to obtain data, which was coded in excel before being exported to SPSS for statistical analysis, while descriptive statistics and inferential statistics specifically the t-test were used for further analysis. Results were presented using tables, Pie-charts and graphs. The study established that, farmers using drip irrigation obtained significantly higher perceived cost scores (M = 28.50) compared to those not using drip irrigation (M = 23.66), t(113) = 7.159, p < .001. Similarly, drip irrigation adopters had significantly higher levels of knowledge about the technology (M = 37.05) compared to those not using drip irrigation (M = 34.76), t(113) = 2.446, p < .016. On the other hand, adopters and non-adopters of drip irrigation did not differ significantly in their perceptions of credit accessibility and water availability. These findings suggest that efforts to reduce costs and enhance farmer education about drip irrigation could significantly improve adoption rates. Accessibility to credit and water, while important, were not identified as primary hindrances in this study. To address the barriers identified, the study recommends that financial assistance programs, such as subsidies or low-interest loans, be developed to help farmers manage the initial investment costs of drip irrigation systems. Additionally, comprehensive training programs should be implemented to enhance farmers' technical knowledge and skills related to drip irrigation.
Description
A Research Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of Requirement for the Award of the Degree of Master of Science (Environmental Education) in the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences of Kenyatta University, September 2025.
Supervisors
1. Prof. Michael K. Koech
2. Dr. Richard Kerich