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

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

Household Demand for Water in Rural Kenya

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on
EfD Authors:

To expand and maintain water supply infrastructure in rural regions of devel​oping countries, planners and policymakers need better information on the preferences of households who might use the sources. What is the relative importance of price, distance and quality in a households decision to use a source? If a water source increases fees, perhaps to cover maintenance or planned replacement, how will the total amount of water abstracted and revenue collected change?

Water

The impact of microhydroelectricity on household welfare indicators

Submitted by Felicity Downes on
EfD Authors:

The use of small-scale off-grid renewable energy for rural electrification is now seen as part of the sustainable energy solutions. The expectation from such small-scale investment is that it can meet the basic energy needs of a household and subsequently improve someaspects of household welfare. However, these stated benefits remain largely hypothetical because there are data and methodological challenges in existing literature attempting to isolate such impact.

Energy, Forestry

What Determines Gender Inequality in Household Food Security in Kenya? Application of Exogenous Switching Treatment Regression

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on

Abstract: This paper explores the link between the gender of a household head and food security in rural Kenya. The results show that the food security gap between male-headed households (MHHs) and female-headed households (FHHs) is explained by their differences in observable and unobservable characteristics. FHHs’ food security status would have been higher than it is now if the returns (coefficients) on their observed characteristics had been the same as the returns on the MHHs’ characteristics.

Health, Gender

Does Institutional Isolation Matter for Soil Conservation Decisions? Evidence From Kenya

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on
EfD Authors:

This article investigates the role of institutional isolation on the adoption of soil conservation technologies in Kenya. The study is based on the theory of induced technical and institutional innovations and on the literature on land tenure security and investment incentives. A multinomial logit model for adoption of various soil conservation investments (SCI) is estimated.

Agriculture

Strategic alliances in Kenyan smallholder farming

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on

Implementing and complying with standards and certification often increases costs for supply chain actors. These increased costs are caused by upgrading production, logistics and marketing needed to achieve compliance, and can lead to the exclusion of actors from the supply chain.

Agriculture

Impact of Improved Farm Technologies on Yields The Case of Improved Maize Varieties and Inorganic Fertilizer in Kenya

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on
EfD Authors:

This study investigates the impact of package adoption of inorganic fertilizers and improved maize seed varieties on yield among smallholder households in Kenya. We used a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences approach combined with propensity score matching to control for both time-invariant and unobservable household heterogeneity.

Agriculture