Devolution of Agriculture and Its Effects on Mango Marketing by Small Scale Farmers in Makueni County, Kenya
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Date
2024-06
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Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Many mango farmers face significant post-harvest losses due to poor logistics,
insufficient government support and limited market access, leading to unproductivity,
unsustainability and increased poverty due to reliance on middlemen. This study sought
to establish the indicators of agricultural devolution, assess the benefits of devolution to
mango farmers, examine the challenges faced by mango farmers in selling their produce
despite devolution and investigate the coping strategies on challenges faced by mango
farmers in Makueni County. Mango farming has been a source of misery for many
farmers owing to its huge post-harvest losses that have resulted from limited market
access, low prices and lack of proper farmers’ management organizations. The study pre tested the research tools for validity and reliability, data gathered during the pilot guided
in further improving the research tools. Quantitative data underwent cleaning process
before sorting and entry into SPSS (V27) package which helped in analysis. Descriptives
were used to descriptively analyze the data based on the specific objectives, while
correlation analysis was used to test the hypothesis formulated. Graphs and tables
presented the data. Qualitative data from interview guides was analyzed through thematic
analysis. This involved identifying patterns or themes in the data by systematically coding
and categorizing responses. The findings were significant to policy makers, the farmers
and researchers in the same field of study. The study found that the indicators of
devolution included better marketing guidelines (40.2%), promotion of farm cooperatives
(36.7%), processing of farm produce (15.3%), better infrastructure (16.6%), better
bargaining power (14.1%) among others. The findings also demonstrated a strong
positive correlation between agricultural devolution and mango marketing (r = 0.572, p =
0.000). The study concluded that though mango marketing cooperatives helped the
farmers to market their products, the Makueni County government did not have enough
marketing options for its farmers in their mango produce. Consequently, the County
Government has not made significant investments in more effective marketing
frameworks, which has resulted in poor prices for their produce, restricted access to
finance and a lack of markets. The report suggests that in order to boost mango demand
and marketing strategies, the Makueni County administration and mango growers should
collaborate. This can be done by promoting mangoes and the benefits of consuming them,
finding new markets for mangoes, improving the quality and quantity of mango
production and supporting value addition and processing.
Description
A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements of Award of the Degree of Master of Arts in Geography in the School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences, Kenyatta University, June 2024.
Supervisor
1. Thomas Kibutu
2.Jackson Musau