Even the Rich go Hungry. Food Insecurity in the Highlands of Mt. Kenya

Submitted by Jane Nyawira Maina on
EfD Authors:

Food insecurity is prevalent in most of the developing countries including Kenya. The design and implementation of sustainable strategies in addressing food insecurity requires an in depth understanding of its covariates. As a result, this paper estimated covariates of perceived of food insecurity among households in the slopes of Mt. Kenya, an area perceived to be food secure. In order to achieve this objective, proportionate stratified sampling method was used to select sample in Ngariama location, Kirinyaga and simple random sampling was utilized to identify individual households.

Agriculture

Complementarity of inorganic fertilizers and improved maize varieties and farmer efficiency in maize production in Kenya

Submitted by Jane Nyawira Maina on
EfD Authors:

This study contributes to the literature and policy on the impact of partial and package adoption of inorganic fertilizers and improved maize varieties on yields among smallholder households in Kenya. We use a blend of the quasi-experimental difference-in-differences approach and propensity score matching to control for both time-variant and time-invariant unobservable household heterogeneity. Our findings show that inorganic fertilizers and improved maize varieties significantly improve yields when adopted as a package rather than as individual elements.

Agriculture

Adoption of improved amaranth varieties and good agricultural practices in East Africa

Submitted by Jane Nyawira Maina on
EfD Authors:

This study quantifies the adoption of improved amaranth varieties in Kenya and Tanzania, and the extent to which these result from international vegetable breeding research conducted by the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) and partners. The study used expert elicitation and a questionnaire survey among vegetable seed producers. Nine expert panels were conducted involving 123 local experts. The results show that improved amaranth varieties were planted on 51% of the planted area in Kenya and 70% in Tanzania.

Agriculture

Drought preparedness and livestock management strategies by pastoralists in semi-arid lands: Laikipia North, Kenya

Submitted by Jane Nyawira Maina on
EfD Authors:

Drought is a major threat to people's food security and livelihoods in arid and semi-arid lands in drought-prone developing countries. The traditional responses to drought management have been largely reactive. The purpose of this study is to investigate the determinants of the choice behind the various livestock management of pastoralists in Laikipia North, Kenya, as a proxy for understanding their preparedness to cope with future droughts.

Agriculture

Factors Affecting the Adoption of Climate Smart Agricultural Practices among Smallholder Farmers in Bungoma County, Kenya

Submitted by Jane Nyawira Maina on
EfD Authors:

While a better understanding of factors influencing adoption of Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) practices is important in promoting successful climate change adaptation strategies, there is little information on the various practices adopted by smallholders. Accordingly, this study analyses the factors influencing adoption of CSA practices in Bungoma, County. The study adopted a descriptive research design.

Agriculture, Climate Change

Adaptation to climate change and climate variability and its implications for household food security in Kenya

Submitted by Jane Nyawira Maina on

Climate change and climate variability affect weather patterns and cause shifts in seasons with serious repercussions such as declining food production and productivity for communities and households in Kenya. To mitigate the negative impacts of climate change and variability, farming households have been encouraged to adopt different strategies such as new crop varieties, crop and livestock diversification, and water-harvesting technologies.

Agriculture, Climate Change

Smallholder Avocado Contract Farming in Kenya: Determinants and Differentials in Outcomes

Submitted by Jane Nyawira Maina on

Avocado is a non-traditional export crop of economic importance in Kenya. Commercialization of the fruit through contract farming is a viable alternative for improving the welfare of majority of smallholder farmers involved in its production. This paper explores factors influencing the participation of smallholder farmers in avocado contract farming and decomposes those contributing to differentials in quality and quantities of fruit harvested and sold by contract and non-contract farmers.

Agriculture

The Influence of the Strength of Financial Institutions and the Investment-Production Delay on Commodity Price Cycles: A Framed Field Experiment with Coffee Farmers in Colombia.

Submitted by Manuela Fonseca on

Commodity price cycles can arise when there is a tendency to invest more (less) when current prices are high (low). Traditionally this behavior is interpreted as based upon naïve expectations. However, weak financial institutions can also cause this behavior. When borrowing is hard and saving is risky farmers cannot invest

Experiments