Agricultural Education, Training, and Smallholder Dairy Farmers’ Productivity in Kiambu County, Kenya
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Date
2024-04
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Kenyatta University
Abstract
Dairy farming is a feasible investment for many small-scale dairy farmers in Kenya. However, the sector is far from reaching its full potential due to various factors that limit both participation and production. More than 80% of Kiambu County’s population depends on agriculture as its main economic activity. The sector is a key contributor to the welfare of the majority of the county’s population, having employed more than 1.28 million people either directly or indirectly. Notwithstanding, only 17.4 percent of the County’s revenue is contributed by the sector. There is, therefore, disproportionality between the number of people employed in the agricultural sector and the amount of income the sector contributed to the County's income. Despite the fact that agricultural sector is faced with numerous challenges, well trained and educated farmers may have efficiency advantage as well as be better prepared to cope with uncertainties that affects the sector (Asfaw and Admassie,2004). The existing literature generally fails to distinguish between effects of general education and effects of specific agricultural education and training towards smallholder dairy productivity. This study investigated the effects of specific agricultural education and training on smallholder dairy farmer productivity in Kiambu Sub-County, Kiambu County. The objectives of the study were to establish the effects of agricultural education and training on smallholder’s dairy farmers’ productivity in Kiambu Sub-County, Kiambu County. This study adopted a non-experimental research design and a human capital theory. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Primary data was acquired by administering structured questionnaires to the sampled smallholder dairy farmers. Purposive and convenient sampling was employed to select the sample of respondents. In addition to the Yamane (1967) equation, the sampling technique produced a sample size of 338 smallholder dairy farmers from four wards: Riabai, Tinganga, Ndumberi, and Kiambu Township. Quantitative descriptive and regression analysis techniques were utilized to analyze the data. The research findings established that agricultural training had a positive effect on smallholder dairy farmers’ productivity in Kiambu Sub-County. However, the study found no significant differences in milk productivity between those who studied agriculture in school and those who did not study agriculture. The lack of significant differences in average daily milk production between the two groups was attributed to the predominance of respondents with basic and secondary agricultural education levels, suggesting insufficient specific education on agricultural practices. The study concluded that agricultural training positively influences productivity of small scale dairy farmers in Kiambu County. This study recommends that small scale dairy farmers should seek agricultural training specific to dairy farming to enhance their dairy productivity. In addition, the county government and dairy farmers’ cooperation’s should prioritize training small scale dairy farmers to enhance their agricultural knowledge and competencies to increase milk production and optimally operate their dairy farms. On the other hand, the Ministry of Education should permit early specialization at the secondary level allowing secondary level students to specialize in crop farming or livestock farming, thus gaining intensive knowledge of agricultural practices such as dairying, which could result in higher milk productivity and better dairy farming practices.
Description
A research project submitted to the School of Business, Economics and Tourism in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of Master in Economics of Kenyatta University. April, 2024
supervisor
Mwiathi Peter Silas