DETERMINANTS OF THE DECISION TO ADOPT INTEGRATED SOIL FERTILITY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES BY SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OF KENYA

TLDR

Declining soil fertility drives low per capita food production on sub‑Saharan African smallholder farms, especially where farmers lack cattle and thus animal manure. The study empirically examined factors influencing Kenyan smallholder farmers’ decisions to adopt integrated soil fertility management technologies. A logistic regression model identified farm management, labor hiring capacity, and food‑buying months as positive predictors, and older household head age and number of mature cattle as negative predictors of ISFM adoption. Among 106 surveyed households, 46% adopted ISFM, with logistic regression revealing that better farm management, labor hiring ability, and food‑buying months increased adoption, while older household heads and more mature cattle reduced it; thus, targeting younger, full‑time working couples and food‑insecure households lacking alternative fertility sources could boost ISFM uptake.

Abstract

SUMMARY Declining soil fertility is a major cause of low per capita food production on smallholder farms of sub-Saharan Africa. This study attempted to provide an empirical explanation of the factors associated with farmers' decisions to adopt or not to adopt newly introduced integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) technologies consisting of combinations of organics and mineral fertilizer in Meru South district of the central highlands of Kenya. Out of 106 households interviewed, 46% were ‘adopters’ while 54% were ‘non-adopters’. A logistic regression model showed that the factors that significantly influenced adoption positively were farm management, ability to hire labour and months in a year households bought food for their families, while age of household head and number of mature cattle negatively influenced adoption. The implication of these results is that the adoption of ISFM practices could be enhanced through targeting of younger families where both spouses work on the farm full-time and food insecure households. It is also important to target farmers that lack access to other sources of soil fertility improvement. Examples include farmers that do not own cattle or those owning few and who, therefore, have limited access to animal manure.