SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS INFLUENCING FOOD CROP DIVERSIFICATION AMONG SMALLHOLDER SUGARCANE FARMERS IN MUMIAS EAST SUB-COUNTY, KENYA – International Journal of Research in Education Humanities and Commerce

SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS INFLUENCING FOOD CROP DIVERSIFICATION AMONG SMALLHOLDER SUGARCANE FARMERS IN MUMIAS EAST SUB-COUNTY, KENYA

Authors: Madaphine Malala, Elijah K. Ng’eno & Naomi Rioba

ABSTRACT

Crop diversification is a predominantly important coping mechanism for agriculture’s income, production and marketing risks. It is a key strategy for mitigating food insecurity among small-scale farmers in Kenya. It enables them to spread production and income risk, reducing livelihood vulnerability to weather or market shocks. Crop diversification among sugarcane farmers has been on the rise over time due to risks associated with sugarcane production and marketing and declining sugarcane productivity. Consequently, this has led to impaired sugarcane farmer households’ goals of improving food, income and nutrition security. Therefore, the objectives of the study was to determine the socio-economic factors affecting food crop diversification among smallholder sugarcane farmers in Mumias East Sub County. The study was guided by Random Utility Maximization (RUM) theory and descriptive and cross-sectional research designs were adopted. Multistage sampling whereby purposive, stratified and simple random sampling techniques were employed in the study to select 155 farmers from a target population of 11,885 smallholder sugarcane farmer households. A questionnaire was used to collect data and data was analysed multivariate regression model with the help of STATA version 16 software. The analysed data was presented in the form of tables, bar charts and graphs. Descriptive results revealed that the mean age and farming experience of the farmers was 55.72 and 22.76 years respectively and owned on average 4.33 hectares of land. Multivariate linear regression results indicated that age, household income level, education level, land size and household size were all statistically significant and had an influence on food crop diversification among smallholder sugarcane farmers. Binary logistic regression results indicated that a unit increase in age, level of education, land size, membership to a farmers’ group and market price positively influenced farmer participation in diversified cropping system by 117%, 81.7%, 745.5%, 228.2% and 117.3% respectively. Therefore, from the results of this study, relevant stakeholders, county and national governments should come up with an agricultural policy that supports the shift from non-diversification to crop diversification through the development of guaranteed access and subsidies to farm inputs resources that will help boost farm production among smallholder sugarcane farmer households. This will help to solve the issues of food insecurity and also help farmers to realize high-profit margins from their farm output.

Keywords: Socioeconomic, Smallholder farmer, Food Crop Diversification.

REFERENCES

Aheibam, M., Singh, R., Feroze, S. M., Singh, N. U., Singh, R. J., & Singh, A. K. (2017). Identifying the determinants and extent of crop diversification at household level: An evidence from Ukhrul District, Manipur. Economic Affairs, 62(1): 89.
Aheibam, M., Singh, R., Feroze, S. M., Singh, N. U., Singh, R. J., & Singh, A. K. (2017). Identifying the determinants and extent of crop diversification at household level: An evidence from Ukhrul District, Manipur. Economic Affairs, 62(1): 89.
Altieri, M. A. (1999). The ecological role of biodiversity in agroecosystems. In Invertebrate biodiversity as bioindicators of sustainable landscapes (pp. 19-31). Elsevier.
Antwi-Agyei, P., Stringer, L. C., & Dougill, A. J. (2014). Livelihood adaptations to climate variability: insights from farming households in Ghana. Regional environmental change, 14(4), 1615-1626.
Behera, U. K., Sharma, R., & Mahapatra, I. C. (2007). Crop diversification for efficient resource management in India: Problems, prospects, and policy. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 30(3), 97–127. https://doi.org/10.1300/J064v30n03_08. (accessed 20th april 2020)
Block, S., & Webb, P. (2001). The dynamics of livelihood diversification in post-famine Ethiopia. Food Policy, 26, 333– 350.
Clements, R., Haggar, J., Quezada, A., & Torres, J. (2011). Technologies for climate change adaptation: Agricultural sector. https://backend.orbit.dtu.dk/ws/ portal files/portal/5706575/Technologies for Climate Change Adaptation Agriculture sector. pdf. Accessed on 09/07/2020
Ebi, K., Padgham, J., Doumbia, M., Kergna, A., Smith, J., Butt, T., & McCarl, B. (2011). Smallholders adaptation to climate change in Mali. Climatic Change, 108(3), 423– 436.
Ellis, F. (2000). The determinants of rural livelihood diversification in developing countries. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 51(2), 289-302.
Feliciano, D. (2019). A review on the contribution of crop diversification to sustainable development goal 1“no poverty” in different world regions. Sustainable Development, 27(4), 795–808. https://doi.org/10. 1002/sd.1923. January 01, 2020
Frelat, R., Lopez-Ridaura, S., Giller, K. E., Herrero, M., Douxchamps, S., Djurfeldt, A. A., van Wijk, M. T. (2016). Drivers of household food availability in sub-Saharan Africa based on big data from small farms. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 113(2), 458– 463.
Holling, C. S. (1973). Resilience and stability of ecological systems. Annual review of ecology and systematics, 1-23.
Huang, J. K., Jiang, J., Wang, J. X., & Hou, L. L. (2014), Crop diversification in coping with extreme weather events in China. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 13(4):677-686.
Joshi, P., Gulati, A., Jr, & R., C. (2007). Agricultural diversification in South Asia: Beyond food security. Agricultural Diversification and Smallholders in South Asian. 47–81. Retrieved November 18, 2019, from http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/pubs/pubs / other pubs/agdiversesach02.pdf.
Kanyua, M. J., Ithinji, G. K., Muluvi, A. S., Gido, O. E., & Waluse, S. K. (2013). Factors influencing diversification and intensification of horticultural production by smallholder tea farmers in Gatanga District, Kenya. Current Research Journal of Social Sciences, 5(4), 103-111.
Kibet, N., Lagat, J., & Obare, G. (2011). Identifying efficient and profitable farm enterpise in Uasin Gishu County in Kenya. Asian J Agric Sci, 37(5), 378-384.
Kothari, C. R. (2004). Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques, 2nd edition. New age International Publishers (P) Ltd., New Delhi, India.
Kumar, A., Kumar, P., & Sharma, A. N. (2012). Crop diversification in Eastern India: Status and determinants. Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 67(4), 600-616.
Makate, C., Wang, R., Makate, M., & Mango, N. (2016). Crop diversification and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe: adaptive management for environmental change. SpringerPlus, 5, 1-18.
Mango, N., Makate, C., Mapemba, L., & Sopo, M. (2018). The role of crop diversification in improving household food security in central Malawi. Agriculture and Food Security, 7(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/ s40066-018-0160-x
McCord, P. F., Cox, M., Schmitt-Harsh, M., & Evans, T. (2015). Crop diversification as a smallholder livelihood strategy within semi-arid agricultural systems near Mount Kenya. Land Use Policy, 42, 738– 750.
Mesfin, W., Fufa, B., & Haji, J. (2011). Pattern, trend and determinants of crop diversification: empirical evidence from smallholders in eastern Ethiopia. Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development, 2(8), 78-89.
Mithiya, D., Mandal, K., & Datta, L. (2018). Trend, pattern and determinants of crop diversification of small holders in West Bengal: A district-wise panel data analysis. Journal of Development and Agricultural Economics, 10(4): 110-119.
Mussema, R., Kassa, B., Alemu, D., & Shahidur, R. (2015). Determinants of crop diversification in Ethiopia: Evidence from Oromia region. Ethiopian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 25(2): 65-76.
Nguyen, H. Q. (2014). Crop diversification, economic performance and household’s behaviors: Evidence from Vietnam. SSRN Electronic Journal, 1–25.
Ojo, M. A., Ojo, A. O., Odine, A. I., & Ogaji, A. (2014). Determinants of crop diversification among small–scale food crop farmers in north central, Nigeria. Production Agriculture and Technology Journal, 10(2): 1-11.
Rehima, M., Belay, K., Dawit, A., & Rashid, S. (2013). Factors affecting farmers’ crops d iversification: Evidence from SNNPR, Ethiopia. International Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 3(6), 558–565.
Sichoongwe, K., Mapemba, L., Ng’ong’ola, D., & Tembo, G. (2014). The determinants and extent of crop diversification among smallholder farmers: A case study of Southern Province, Zambia (Vol. 5). Intl Food Policy Res Inst.
Waswa, F., Gweyi-Onyango, J. P., & Mcharo, M. (2012). Contract sugarcane farming and farmers’ incomes in the Lake Victoria basin, Kenya. Journal of applied Biosciences, 52, 3685-3695.