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Research Article
Determinants of Smallholder Farmers’ Participation and Income Effects of Home-Grown School Feeding Programme in Kenya
Modou Musa Sowe*,
Benjamin Mutai
,
Hilary Bett
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 5, October 2026
Pages:
153-168
Received:
30 July 2026
Accepted:
13 August 2026
Published:
22 September 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijae.20261105.11
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Abstract: The Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP) provides a link between smallholder farmers and institutional markets, possibly for enhancing household productivity and income. However, empirical evidence on farmers’ engagement decisions and the programme's effect on income remains unknown. This study evaluates the determinants of HGSFP participation and its impact on smallholder farmers' household income. Survey data were collected from 384 households (200 participants and 184 non-participants in HGSFP) in the 2025 cropping production year. An Endogenous Switching Regression model was used to account for non-randomness in programme engagement and to evaluate counterfactual treatment effects. Participation was positively and statistically significantly influenced by awareness of school tendering procedures, farmer-group membership, land size owned, radio ownership, distance to extension services, and children currently attending public primary schools, but had a negative effect with herd ownership and off-farm income. The evaluated Average Treatment effect on Treated (ATE) was [ATE=2.1519, p<0.01], while the Average Treatment Effect on the Untreated (ATU) was [ATU=2.7762, p<0.01], showing significant probable income gains amongst currently excluded from HGSFP. The findings illustrate that HGSFP can work not only as a school-feeding intervention but also as an institutional market system for enhancing smallholder farmers’ welfare. The policy framework should combine programme expansion with enhanced access to farmer organizations, credit, extension services, and procurement information. The ATU estimates offer a basis for targeted programme expansion in terms of socioeconomic, institutional, and agroecological criteria, mainly for eligible non-participant households with higher potential income gains.
Abstract: The Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP) provides a link between smallholder farmers and institutional markets, possibly for enhancing household productivity and income. However, empirical evidence on farmers’ engagement decisions and the programme's effect on income remains unknown. This study evaluates the determinants of HGSFP participati...
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Research Article
Risk Management Practices Among Rice Farming Households in Anambra State, Nigeria
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 5, October 2026
Pages:
169-177
Received:
27 May 2026
Accepted:
4 June 2026
Published:
30 September 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijae.20261105.12
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Abstract: In Sub-Saharan Africa, the economy relies on agriculture as the cornerstone of its development and Nigeria is not exempted as the nation’s economy depends on agriculture for its development. This study investigated the determinants of risk management practices among rice farming households in the study area. A multistage sampling technique was employed in the random sampling of 115 rice farmers. The results revealed that the most significant environmental risks included pests, diseases, flooding, erosion, and soil fertility depletion. Farmers mitigate these risks through various strategies such as diversification, use of improved inputs, and cooperative marketing. However, the adoption of these practices is constrained by factors such as limited access to finance, lack of farmland, poor technical knowledge, and insufficient access to extension services. The study examined the factors influencing the adoption of environmental risk management practices, including factors like extension contact, farm income, and farming experience. Findings revealed that increased access to extension services, farm income, and greater farming experience significantly enhanced risk management capabilities. The study concluded that reinforcing extension services and improving farmers’ income and experience can significantly enhance the resilience of rice farmers to environmental risks and contribute to agricultural productivity growth in the study area.
Abstract: In Sub-Saharan Africa, the economy relies on agriculture as the cornerstone of its development and Nigeria is not exempted as the nation’s economy depends on agriculture for its development. This study investigated the determinants of risk management practices among rice farming households in the study area. A multistage sampling technique was empl...
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Research Article
Level of Technical Efficiency in Maize Production in Uasin Gishu and Transzoia Counties in Kenya
Nickson Kiprotich Kimais*
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 5, October 2026
Pages:
178-185
Received:
6 August 2025
Accepted:
21 August 2025
Published:
15 October 2026
Abstract: Maize is a vital staple crop in Kenya, essential to both food security and rural livelihoods, especially in key producing regions like Uasin Gishu and Transzoia Counties. Despite their potential, maize yields in these counties remain significantly below optimum levels-averaging 400,000 and 600,000 metric tons respectively, against potentials of 900,000 and 1,000,000 metric tons. This discrepancy signals inefficiencies in resource use among smallholder farmers. To investigate this issue, the study focused on assessing the level of technical efficiency in maize production and identifying the factors contributing to inefficiency. Rooted in the Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) framework and guided by the Cobb-Douglas production function, the study adopted a descriptive survey design. A sample of 274 farmers was selected from a target population of 16,300 using Cochran’s 1963 formula and stratified random sampling. Primary data were collected through structured, self-administered questionnaires. The results revealed that technical efficiency among farmers ranged from 0.75 to 0.91, with significant inefficiency driven by factors such as education level, farm size, and access to extension services. These findings indicate that productivity could be improved by up to 25% through more efficient resource utilization. The study recommends targeted policy interventions, including farmer training, expanded extension services, and improved access to modern inputs to enhance maize productivity and food security in the region.
Abstract: Maize is a vital staple crop in Kenya, essential to both food security and rural livelihoods, especially in key producing regions like Uasin Gishu and Transzoia Counties. Despite their potential, maize yields in these counties remain significantly below optimum levels-averaging 400,000 and 600,000 metric tons respectively, against potentials of 900...
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Research Article
The Effect of Local Agricultural Technologies on Reducing Food Spoilage (Vegetables) in Tubah Subdivision,
North-West Region Cameroon
Louis Atamja*,
Dvumbighe Mercy Cheah,
Nembo Elton Nambuanyi
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 5, October 2026
Pages:
186-200
Received:
1 October 2026
Accepted:
16 October 2026
Published:
29 October 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijae.20261105.14
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Abstract: This study examines the effect of local agricultural technologies on reducing vegetable spoilage in Tubah Subdivision, Northwest Cameroon. Using a cross-sectional survey design, the study assesses the adoption of local preservation methods, their relationship with vegetable spoilage, and the challenges limiting their effectiveness. The findings show that sun drying (86%) and traditional barn storage (37%) are the most widely adopted preservation methods, with knowledge primarily acquired through fellow farmers and family traditions. Binary logistic regression results reveal that gender and educational attainment significantly influence food spoilage. Female farmers and farmers with secondary education are more likely to adopt preservation methods that reduce spoilage. Traditional barn storage and the use of ash are positively associated with food spoilage, whereas sun drying and local refrigeration are associated with reduced spoilage. However, farmers and traders face considerable challenges in preserving vegetables, including inadequate awareness and training (71%), limited storage infrastructure (63%), and climate-related constraints (54%). These findings highlight the importance of combining traditional knowledge with technical training and infrastructural support to improve vegetable preservation. The study recommends strengthening agricultural extension services, promoting women’s participation in preservation activities, enhancing educational outreach, upgrading storage facilities, and supporting affordable, locally appropriate preservation technologies. Such interventions could improve farmers’ capacity to manage post-harvest losses, reduce vegetable spoilage, and enhance food availability and livelihood outcomes in Tubah Subdivision. The study underscores the need for agricultural policies that recognize existing local practices while addressing the knowledge, infrastructure, and environmental constraints affecting their effectiveness.
Abstract: This study examines the effect of local agricultural technologies on reducing vegetable spoilage in Tubah Subdivision, Northwest Cameroon. Using a cross-sectional survey design, the study assesses the adoption of local preservation methods, their relationship with vegetable spoilage, and the challenges limiting their effectiveness. The findings sho...
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Research Article
Resource Mobilization Efficiency of Household Biogas Potential in a Pastoral Economy: The Case of Mt. Suswa, Kenya
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 5, October 2026
Pages:
201-216
Received:
6 October 2026
Accepted:
17 October 2026
Published:
29 October 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijae.20261105.15
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Abstract: Despite abundant cattle-dung resources, household biogas adoption remains low across Kenya’s arid and semi-arid pastoral zones. Only 0.5% of Narok County households use biogas as their primary cooking fuel, and prior research has not examined how efficiently pastoralist households can mobilize this feedstock. This study assessed feedstock-mobilization efficiency and its determinants among pastoralist households in Mt. Suswa, Narok County, Kenya, using a non-experimental, cross-sectional design grounded in Production and Efficiency theories. A census of 150 livestock-keeping households was attempted, and 114 complete questionnaires (76.0%) were analyzed. Potential biogas yield was derived from herd size, assuming 9.0 kg of dung per head per day and 50% collection efficiency. It was modelled as an ex-ante resource-mobilization frontier using a Battese–Coelli Translog stochastic frontier with an inefficiency-effects component. Likelihood-ratio tests favored the stochastic Translog specification over both OLS and Cobb-Douglas. Mean mobilization efficiency was 67.04%, revealing a 32.96% structural gap, and 28.1% of households fell below 60% efficiency. Returns to scale were strongly diminishing (0.55 under individual grazing and 0.38 under communal grazing). A significant negative water-access-by-grazing-distance interaction pointed to compounding spatial constraints. Livestock maintenance cost and grazing distance raised the frontier, while communal grazing lowered it by 24.68%. Cultural compatibility with dung-derived energy reduced inefficiency, whereas formal education increased it, a pattern interpreted through life-cycle and Chayanovian accounts of livestock accumulation. Modern cooking-energy use and technology awareness showed marginal, opposing effects. Closing half the efficiency gap could yield about 208 m³ of additional biogas per household annually, displacing roughly 1.26 tonnes of firewood worth KES 18,303. These results suggest that clean-energy deficit stems from spatial, environmental, and institutional frictions. Biogas policy should therefore target household-level mobilization constraints, through culturally anchored extension, co-location of water and energy infrastructure, and localized paddocking, rather than aggregate biomass availability.
Abstract: Despite abundant cattle-dung resources, household biogas adoption remains low across Kenya’s arid and semi-arid pastoral zones. Only 0.5% of Narok County households use biogas as their primary cooking fuel, and prior research has not examined how efficiently pastoralist households can mobilize this feedstock. This study assessed feedstock-mobilizat...
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