Papers by Job Kibiwot Lagat
Journal of Development Studies, Sep 24, 2021
ABSTRACT We innovatively applied a bifocal approach to network analysis – integrating qualitative... more ABSTRACT We innovatively applied a bifocal approach to network analysis – integrating qualitative and quantitative data – to assess smallholders’ personal networks in access to markets. Exploring a case of conventional and institutional markets for leafy vegetables, we found close networks of family members, friends and neighbors, as gatekeepers in access to institutional markets. Beyond farmer groups, non-farmer groups and religious networks are strategic networks facilitating bulk purchases and linking smallholders to markets. We recommend that policy and programs aimed at smallholders' market development should employ strategies targeted at both farmer groups and non-farm associations, among farming communities.
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Nov 1, 2012
The greatest challenge to small holder farmers in Africa is lack of markets although new developm... more The greatest challenge to small holder farmers in Africa is lack of markets although new developments point to linking them to specific markets. Since linking farmers to markets in Kenyan agriculture is a relatively new phenomenon both at the level of government and the NGO/donor, it has not been established what works and what does not. Secondly, there is inadequate information and documentation on the nature of linkages of farmers to markets both in the public and private sector. The objective of the study was therefore to identify the different practices through which successful small holder farmers have gained access to remunerative markets. Based on a FAO nomenclature on the various approaches that small holder farmers' access markets globally, a market research was done in 2010 where a total sample of twenty farmers was selected from eight districts in Kenya. After further screening, only seven farmers meeting the FAO criteria were interviewed. The commodities that were considered were eggs, milk, avocado fruit, meat, horticultural produce, summer flowers, essential oils and bananas. Results showed that there were five best practices identified contributing to market access for small holder farmers: Production (adequate volume), Group's development dynamics (organized groups), Marketing (consistent supply), Marketing institutions (collaboration with marketing institutions), and Business development services (providing services to producers). It was concluded that implementing what is perceived as the best practices built self-confidence, reduced perception of risk and through the market exposure, farmers acquired a set of new life skills: business, management, human relations and organization.
Journal of economics and sustainable development, 2014
Most Swazi households depend on rainfed agriculture for food production, which limits the output ... more Most Swazi households depend on rainfed agriculture for food production, which limits the output because of the unreliable rainfall in the country. To mitigate this, the government has invested in rehabilitation of irrigation schemes to reduce the dependence on rainfall. This study therefore determined the factors influencing participation of farmers in small holder irrigation schemes in Swaziland, using Ntfonjeni Rural Development Area (RDA), as a case study. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 96 farming households, 48 participants of local irrigation scheme and 48 non participants. Data was collected using questionnaires. Analysis involved descriptive statistics and probit model. The study revealed that the participation in small holder irrigation schemes is significantly influenced by households distance to the scheme, age and occupation of household head, farm size and access to credit and membership in other groups. Participation improves output and income for households. Hence it is recommended that peasant farmers should be assisted with credit facilities as an incentive to participate in irrigation schemes.
Crisis Management - Principles, Roles and Application
Floods are the most destructive water-related disasters considered to have dire consequences on t... more Floods are the most destructive water-related disasters considered to have dire consequences on the livelihoods of the affected population. Structural and non-structural measures have been implemented as mitigation strategies to help cope with these disasters. Given the magnitude of the disaster from floods in Busia county, multiple agencies have come into play with alternative mitigation strategies. The strategies which directly engage the participation of the community are non-structural, which include flood forecasting and early warning systems, land-use planning with zoning, savings and credit schemes, and rainwater harvesting. Despite the fact that non-structural measures are considered sustainable, households in Bunyala sub-county are still struggling with the negative impacts of floods. It is therefore of interest to establish the welfare gains or profits households derive from using these measures. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the variables of interest. Propen...
Constant droughts especially in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) have led to recurrent crop fa... more Constant droughts especially in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) have led to recurrent crop failures and livestock losses. Households have therefore resulted to other alternatives which can provide both food and income. Trade in indigenous fruits contributes to livelihoods through income generation and as a safety net for consumption and income smoothing. This paper presents the analysis of economic returns from harvesting and marketing indigenous fruits and the socio economic factors that influence participation in trade of indigenous fruits. The results are based on a survey conducted in Nuu division, Mwingi District, where 120 randomly selected households were interviewed using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Logistic regression model, Gross Margin Analysis, and Benefit cost ratios were used during the analysis. Data was processed and analyzed using SPSS20. The Gross margins depicted harvesting of indigenous fruits for trade as a profitable venture. High benefit co...
This research is financed by African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) under the Collaborative ... more This research is financed by African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) under the Collaborative Masters in Agricultural and Applied Economics (CMAAE) Program.
The objectives of this study were to evaluate the factors that influence consumption of indigenou... more The objectives of this study were to evaluate the factors that influence consumption of indigenous fruits during periods of food shortage among the Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASAL) and then assess the contribution of the indigenous fruits to household income and food security. The study was carried out in Nuu division, Mwingi District where a sample size of 120 households were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Multi stage sampling method was used. The logit, Gross Margin Analysis, Pearson's correlations and t-tests were used for analysis. The results of the logit model indicated household size, education and income to be significant variables in influencing household decision to consume indigenous fruits in order to cope with food shortage with income and education having a negative influence and household size a positive influence. Utilization of indigenous fruits for consumption and sale was found to be higher among the low income earners and contributed to total ho...
Journal of economics and sustainable development, 2017
Sweet potato value addition is increasingly being popularized among producers due to its potentia... more Sweet potato value addition is increasingly being popularized among producers due to its potential to reduce wastage, increase market access and fetch optimal prices. Despite these documented benefits, smallholder sweet potato producers in Kenya have not implemented value addition widely. This study analyzed the factors influencing value addition and extent of value addition by smallholder sweet potato farmers of Rachuonyo South sub-county in western Kenya. Using a sample of 200 smallholder farmers, Heckman’s Probit model with sample selection was employed to firstly identify the factors affecting a farmer’s decision to adopt value addition, and secondly evaluate the factors that affect the extent of a farmer’s participation in sweet potato value addition. Study findings show that the probability of adoption was significantly influenced by household size, total quantity produced, credit access, land size and training. Further results show that the distance to the market, group memb...
Handbook of Climate Change Resilience, 2019
In Kenya, good quality heifers are in high demand but are generally unavailable and expensive. In... more In Kenya, good quality heifers are in high demand but are generally unavailable and expensive. Innovative usage of sexed semen in an in-vitro embryo production (IVEP) system has a potential to help deliver appropriate cattle genotypes to farmers efficiently. Sexed In-vitro Fertilization Embryo Transfer (SIFET), which involves both IVEP and embryo transfer (ET), is a breeding technology which ensures a 90% success rate of achieving the desired sex of a calf. While SIFET technology is potentially beneficial, its costs and benefits have not been locally assessed. A cost benefit analysis was done to assess the economic feasibility of SIFET for commercial utilization in Kenya. Our results indicate that SIFET technology is a feasible option for potential investors. SIFET could benefit cattle farmers through availability of cattle of preferred sex (male calves for beef and female calves for dairy production) and better matching of genotype to farmers’ production conditions. Such technologi...
The African Indigenous Leafy Vegetables (AILV) agricultural sub-sector in Kenya has in recent tim... more The African Indigenous Leafy Vegetables (AILV) agricultural sub-sector in Kenya has in recent times gained considerable prominence and attention. A diverse number of studies have underpinned the role it can play in improving the economic standing of smallholders, while playing an imperative nutritional role in the diets of many consumers. Stemming from increased awareness on the rise of various lifestyle illnesses and crusaders championing for healthy eating habits, the demand of AILV, as healthier dietary alternatives, has been gradually on the rise. However, the socioeconomic and institutional factors that influence market participation and the effect of choice of market packages on AILV income are still not clear. Therefore, the main objectives of the study were: to characterize the socio-economic attributes of AILV farmers; to determine factors influencing households’ market participation behaviour; and to identify the combination of market outlets that deliver the highest payof...
The objective of the study was to identify the socio-economic and institutional factors which inf... more The objective of the study was to identify the socio-economic and institutional factors which influence the level of awareness of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects and in so doing to highlight the policy implications for the stakeholders when designing clean development mechanism projects among smallholder farmers. Findings shows that 23% of the farmers were correctly aware of the project and the results of the ordered logit model indicate that age, gender, education level, group membership, existence of tree farming and contact with extension services was found to influence awareness level of smallholder forest Carbon projects. To assist the community to adapt to climate change and produce sufficiently on a sustainable basis and achieve the desired food security under climate change challenges, the study recommends policies to increase awareness of such agro-environmental initiatives and that of extension providers should distinguish their clientele anchored on vital demog...
Egerton Journal of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education, 2007
international journal of veterinary science, 2015
Most Kenyan farmers are in need of services to improve their cattle breeds. The artificial insemi... more Most Kenyan farmers are in need of services to improve their cattle breeds. The artificial insemination and bull services are the only available options to improve these breeds. A study was conducted to determine constraints associated to the use of breeding services in Kenya. The methods used to collect the data included random survey using questionnaires, focus group discussion and key informant interviews. It was noted that the artificial insemination was the most preferred mode of service when compared to bull service. However bull service was more used than artificial insemination, indicating that farmers do not always use what they preferred. Bull service was preferred mostly because it was cheap while artificial insemination was preferred for offering breed variety. There was a high proportion of cross breed cattle suggesting that Kenyan farmers are inclined towards improving their cattle breeds. Larger land sizes production systems were associated with more use of bull servi...
Sweet potato value addition has become an increasingly important aspect in improving the diversif... more Sweet potato value addition has become an increasingly important aspect in improving the diversification in its production and expanding the unexploited market amongst consumers. Homa Bay County is among the leading areas of production in Kenya due to its favorable land conditions and rainfall patterns that enables sweet potato to thrive well in the region. Value addition has been introduced in the County mainly by Non-Governmental organizations that work together with the public sector. However some small scale farmers do not practice value addition, partially because little has been done empirically to measure the impact that value addition has on farm income. This study focused on filling in this gap in the existing knowledge on sweet potato value addition. The study was conducted in Homa Bay County and the study sites selected included three sub counties namely Kasipul, Kabondo Kasipul and Ndhiwa. Multi stage sampling technique was used in selecting the study sites and the required sample size determined by proportionate to size sampling method. Interview schedules and observation were used to collect primary data. Multiple regressions were used to analyze the effect of different value addition activities on Income received solely from sweet potatoes. In addition marginal effects were obtained to analyze the effect of each independent variable separately on income. Findings revealed that the more value a farmer added to raw tuber, the better the income obtained from the market. In addition, farmer marketing groups had a stronger bargaining power in the market compared to farmers selling individually. The study therefore recommended that the County government should work closely with the non-governmental organizations to enlighten farmers on the importance of forming farmer groups since most training on value addition, information on prices and market opportunities can be easily disseminated through farmer groups .It is through these trainings that farmers would be able to make rational decisions with regard to production and adding value to get higher incomes.
Fundamental and Applied Agriculture, 2020
Around the world, the creation of regional economic communities attracted more attention in empir... more Around the world, the creation of regional economic communities attracted more attention in empirical analyses. Different techniques were used in order to assess the performances of trades taking place in the regional economic communities. This study applied such analysis to Burundi, concerning sugar imports from the East African Community (EAC). More specifically, this study determined the intensity of Burundi’s sugar imports and estimated the factors which influence Burundi’s sugar imports. Both the histograms and the gravity model were used to analyze the data collected from 2003 to 2018. In essence, the results indicated that Burundi intensively imported sugar from Kenya followed by Uganda. Moreover, the results revealed that the gross domestic products (GDPs), the distance and the exchange rates were the major factors influencing Burundi’s sugar imports. For instance, it was found that a 1% increase in the Burundian GDP leads to an expansion of sugar imports by 0.52%. Therefore, policy makers in Burundi should create a space that efficiently maximizes the intensity of sugar imports through attractive trade policies. Moreover, they should particularly put a rigorous control on GDPs, exchange rates and distance in order to enhance a smooth movement of sugar imports from the East African Community.
American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 2018
Majority of the households in Mali depend on rain-fed agriculture for their food production. Over... more Majority of the households in Mali depend on rain-fed agriculture for their food production. Overreliance on rainfed agriculture limit limits the production output due to unreliable rainfall in the country. To mitigate this, the government has invested in rehabilitation of irrigation schemes. Through appropriate irrigation technologies and improved agronomic management practices, agricultural productivity will be increased. The objective of this study was to determine the technical efficiency of small scale vegetables production under different irrigation systems. This study was guided by the production theory. Primary data was collected from 273 farmers selected proportionately from four wards (Fanafiecoura and Tieman, in Koulikoro region and Mopti and Dialango, in Mopti region) using face-to-face interviews. Secondary data from literature reviews was also used. Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier production regression model was used in the analysis. Stata software was used for analysis. This study found that with respect to the production of potatoes, shallots and tomatoes, technical efficiency scores were highest in drip irrigation, followed by sprinkling irrigation and lowest in Californian irrigation system. This study recommends that drip, sprinkling Californian irrigation systems should be promoted since they presents a good opportunity for superior technical efficiency in vegetable production.
East African Agricultural and Forestry Journal, 2019
Nyandarua County has enormous milk production potential and has a large amount of milk, because o... more Nyandarua County has enormous milk production potential and has a large amount of milk, because of large a population of dairy cows coupled with the huge milk market demand from within and without. Despite this potential, milk postharvest losses have posed a major challenge to the dairy sector in the county. The general objective of the current study was to establish causes of losses among milk producers, as well as factors that contribute to the choice of a milk-marketing channel. A total of 188 milk producers were selected through proportionate to size sampling from Nyandarua North subcounty, including the formal and informal milk value chains. A statistical analysis, as well as a quantitative analysis was done with the help of Microsoft Excel, STATA and SPSS Ver. 21. The first step Heckman results indicate that age of household head, gender of household head, education level, breed type, total milk output, feeding system, keeping of records and type of milk container significantly influenced the choice of milk-marketing channel. The second step Heckman results suggest that dairy farming experience, distance to milk collection point, type of breed, total milk output, use of detergent to clean milk containers, feeding system and keeping of production records were significant as far as causes of milk losses among milk producers was concerned. Based on the results of the current study, it is recommended that policy implementers and dairy stakeholders should prioritise efforts to minimise postharvest milk losses considering that the implications of these losses directly affect the economic wellbeing and livelihood of farmers and other dairy chain participants. Milkmarketing channels, both formal and informal, need to be reevaluated based on returns and convenience with emphasis on proper postharvest milk management and handling. This will reduce on the losses and additional cost incurred by milk producers and transporters resulting to higher economic returns for the respective chain participants in the dairy value chain. KEYWORDS milk collection; milk handling; milk-marketing channel; postharvest milk management East African Agricultural and Forestry Journal is co-published by NISC Pty (Ltd) and Informa Limited (trading as Taylor & Francis Group)
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Papers by Job Kibiwot Lagat