Faculty of Agriculture & Veterinary Medicine (FAg / FVM)http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/80132024-03-28T22:37:08Z2024-03-28T22:37:08ZEconomic Viability of Rainwater Harvesting and Irrigation Development Interventions in Ethiopia and Kenya: an Application of Stochastic Impact EvaluationYigzaw, Negusse G.http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/1643192024-02-22T12:25:03Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZEconomic Viability of Rainwater Harvesting and Irrigation Development Interventions in Ethiopia and Kenya: an Application of Stochastic Impact Evaluation
Yigzaw, Negusse G.
Alleviating poverty and meeting the growing demand for food is the top priority for economic
and social development of the developing world. Accordingly, countries have been investing
substantial amounts of their budget to develop agricultural infrastructure, such as rainwater
harvesting and irrigation development structures. Considering the dependency of the
communities in rainfed farming systems, the demand for rainwater harvesting and irrigation
development is expected to increase. However, development planners and/or decision makers are
facing difficulty in prioritizing alternative investments. Because such investments are complex
and full of uncertainties. In this regard, Stochastic Impact Evaluation (SIE) technique is
applicable to reduce prediction uncertainties and produce reliable information that can help
decision and policy makers in prioritizing intervention options under system complexity and data
scarcity.
Despite the wide applicability of SIE, the technique is rarely, as well as recently, applied to
evaluate agricultural development interventions. It is not yet applied to evaluate rainwater
harvesting and irrigation development interventions. In addition, there is no existing literature on
the viable rainwater harvesting and irrigation development interventions that captures the system
complexity and prediction uncertainty. Therefore, the objective of the study is to assess the
economic viability of rainwater harvesting and irrigation development interventions using SIE by
taking an irrigation dam construction, road-water harvesting, and spate irrigation system
interventions as a case study in Ethiopia and Kenya respectively.
In the first objective, the economic viability of an irrigation dam development project in northern
Ethiopia was evaluated. Model results indicate that the proposed irrigation dam project is highly
likely to increase the overall benefits and improve food and nutrition status of local farmers.
However, the overall value of these benefits is unlikely to exceed the sum of the investment costs
and negative externalities involved in the intervention. Moreover, the simulation results suggest
that the planned irrigation dam may improve income, as well as food and nutrition security, but
would generate negative environmental effects and high investment costs.
In the second objective, the economic viability of road-water harvesting structures was assessed
for Tigray region of Ethiopia. We find that the proposed road-water harvesting structure is likely
to produce net benefits and improve the income of the households who live in the vicinity of the
roads. However, the magnitude of the net benefits varies with type of road-water harvesting
structures. The overall simulation results indicate that harvesting road-water using percolation
structures is viable, whereas this does not seem to be the case for check dams. The result also
identified construction cost of the structure, water holding capacity of the structure, water use
efficiency and farm revenue as the most sensitive parameters that influence the simulated
outcome. Furthermore, our result also indicated that the outcome for harvesting water with either
farm ponds or a combination of all structures is uncertain and further measurement is required.
In the third objective, the communal and environmental costs, benefits and risks of introducing a
spate irrigation system in Turkana County were identified. Furthermore, the economic viability
of developing spate irrigation systems in Turkana County, Kenya were assessed. The model
result indicates that spate irrigation developments are likely to benefit the local communities as
well as the environment. The return to investment is negatively correlated with the size of the
structure. Furthermore, the chance of generating negative Net Present Value (NPV) increases
with the size of the structure. The result also indicated that the communities in Turkana county
could improve their household income if the government and/or non-governmental development
agents invest in the development of viable spate irrigation infrastructures.
Rainwater harvesting and irrigation development structures have the potential to improve
agricultural production, household income, and at the same time create climate change resilient
communities that withstands drought, dry spells, and flooding. However, this could lead us to
incur higher investment cost, especially when the structure is big, such as an irrigation dam,
which in return lowers its viability. The study revealed the applicability of SIE technique to
evaluate agricultural development interventions in the face of system complexity, predictive
uncertainty and data scarcity.
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZAssessment of Impact of Climate Change Adaptation Interventions on Household Income: Case of Adoption of Improved Pigeon Peas Under Fanya Juu Terraces in Southeastern KenyaMatere, Stella J.http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/1643112024-02-20T12:37:20Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZAssessment of Impact of Climate Change Adaptation Interventions on Household Income: Case of Adoption of Improved Pigeon Peas Under Fanya Juu Terraces in Southeastern Kenya
Matere, Stella J.
Climate change presents a formidable challenge to agricultural production in developing countries that largely depend on natural resources and agriculture for livelihood. For a long time, the integration of improved pigeon pea varieties in fanya juu terraced plots has been promoted in semi-arid areas of Kenya to improve smallholder pigeon pea production’s resilience to climate change. However, farmer’s perception of the technology as an adaptation strategy, the factors influencing its adoption, and the impact of the adoption on smallholder farming households are unknown. This study evaluated the impact of adoption on the pigeon pea gross margins in farming households in Machakos, Makueni, and Kitui counties. The specific objectives were to: (i) assess the factors influencing farmers’ perception of the usefulness of integrating improved pigeon pea varieties in fanya juu terraced plots as an adaptation strategy to climate change, (ii) evaluate the factors influencing the adoption, and (iii) determine the impact of integrating improved pigeon pea varieties in fanya juu terraced plots as an adaptation strategy to climate change on household’s gross margins. Cross-sectional data were collected from 400 households that were selected through multistage and random sampling approaches. The characteristics of respondents were established from the data. A multivariate probit was used to evaluate factors influencing farmers’ perception of the usefulness of the technology and the endogenous switching regression model was used to assess the factors influencing adoption of the technology and the impact of adoption on the gross margins. The study found that farmers perceived that growing improved pigeon pea varieties in fanya juu terraced plots enhances the resilience of pigeon pea production to climate change, increases yields, makes it easy to carry out the technology, and increases crop residue fodder and fuel wood.
The slope of the plot cultivated, the female household head, and access to agriculture extension services significantly influenced farmers’ positive perception of the usefulness of the technology as an adaptation strategy to climate change. About 34% of the households sampled were growing improved pigeon peas in fanya juu terraces. The years of experience in farming, ownership of land and livestock, the slope of cultivated land, positive perception of the usefulness of the technology in adapting to climate change, contact with agricultural extension services providers, and membership in farmers groups of the household head significantly influenced the adoption. The integration of improved pigeon pea varieties in fanya juu terraced plots increased the household gross margins. Accordingly, adopters got on average KES 31,852 per acre per year compared to KES 22,028 in non-adopting households. In a hypothetical case that farmers who adopted, did not adopt, they would have earned 14.6% less income. In another case, if nonadopters, actually adopted, they would have earned 33.8% more than those not adopting. The study concludes that the integration of improved pigeon pea varieties in fanya juu terraced plots as an adaptation strategy to climate change increases gross margins in pigeon pea production. The study recommends that policy interventions, designers, and promoters of agricultural adaptation to climate change should consider appropriate targeting to wide-scale adoption of climate change adaptation technologies to increase returns.
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZEpidemiology, Molecular Characterization, Virulence Gene, and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Thermophilic Campylobacter Species in Puppies in the Nairobi Metropolitan Region, KenyaMbindyo, Sharon N.http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/1643082024-02-19T11:42:06Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZEpidemiology, Molecular Characterization, Virulence Gene, and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Thermophilic Campylobacter Species in Puppies in the Nairobi Metropolitan Region, Kenya
Mbindyo, Sharon N.
Dogs are the most popular companion animals in many parts of the world and their ownership has psychological and physical benefits. However, despite the benefits, their close contact with humans poses a major public health concern due to transmission of zoonotic agents such as Campylobacter species that are important gastrointestinal pathogens which cause diarrhea in puppies. Campylobacter species are amongst the prioritized human and animal pathogens with regards to antimicrobial resistance. Although puppies are considered an important reservoir of Campylobacter pathogens, the current status of Campylobacter species infecting puppies in Kenya remains unclear. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence, risk factors, virulence genes, antimicrobial resistance profiles, and molecular epidemiology of thermophilic Campylobacter species in puppies in the Nairobi Metropolitan Region, Kenya.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Nairobi Metropolitan Region, Kenya from January 2021 to August 2021 where a total of 260 puppies were randomly selected from breeding kennels, shelters and those presented to the University of Nairobi Veterinary Teaching and Referral Hospital for treatment, vaccinations, routine check-up, and boarding. Rectal swabs were collected from the puppies and a pretested questionnaire was used to collect data on potential risk factors for Campylobacter infection. Conventional culture and biochemical tests were done to identify Campylobacter species isolates. Genomic DNA was extracted and tested for presence of the Campylobacter DNA through amplification of the 16S rRNA gene and species specific genes using Polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Genetic identities of the Campylobacter species were confirmed through BLASTn analysis and phylogenetic reconstruction. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was done to assess for the presence of potential virulence genes associated with
motility, adherence, invasion, and cytotoxicity. Resistant phenotypes and genotypes were determined by disc diffusion and molecular methods respectively.
In this study, 150 presumptive Campylobacter species isolates were identified by conventional culture and biochemical tests yielding a prevalence of 57.7% (150/260). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detected 64 Campylobacter species isolates (24.6%, 64/260) by targeting the 16S rRNA gene specific for these microorganisms. Campylobacter coli was the predominant species at 13% (33/260) followed by C. jejuni at 4% (10/260). The frequency of the occurrence of selected virulence genes, i.e. flaA, cadF, ciaB, iam, pldA, as well as genes responsible for the formation of the cytolethal distending toxin (CDT), i.e. cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC was determined. flaA, ciaB, and cdtB putative genes were detected in 25, 46.9, and 43.8% of strains respectively. Resistant phenotypes were detected in Campylobacter species with 100% resistance to ampicillin, 96.9% to tetracyclines, 96.9% to erythromycin, and 82.8% to trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole. The corresponding resistance genes detected in the phenotypic-resistant Campylobacter species isolates included 23S rRNA gene (67.7%) for erythromycin, gyrA gene (31.3%) for ciprofloxacin, tet(C)/tet(O) genes (21%, 69.4%) for tetracycline, blaOXA-61 gene (32.8%) for ampicillin, and aph-3-1 gene (11.1%) for gentamicin. This is the first study in Kenya to report on the genotyping data, virulence, and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Campylobacter species in puppies in Kenya; it showed that pathogenic and multidrug-resistant Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli strains are present in puppies in the Nairobi Metropolitan Region, Kenya posing potential zoonotic risk. Great attention should therefore be paid in choosing the most appropriate antimicrobial therapy in small animal practice.
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZPotential Economic Impact and Willingness to Pay for Postharvest Technologies of Mangoes and Their Value-added Products Among Producers and Consumers in KenyaMujuka, Esther A.http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/handle/11295/1642942024-02-12T12:45:22Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZPotential Economic Impact and Willingness to Pay for Postharvest Technologies of Mangoes and Their Value-added Products Among Producers and Consumers in Kenya
Mujuka, Esther A.
Postharvest loss reduction is increasingly recognized as a promising strategy for ensuring
food and nutrition security. Historically, horticultural research has focused on increasing
production with little emphasis on minimization of postharvest losses (PHLs). In Kenya
there is need to reduce PHLs estimated at up to 50% in mangoes. Low adoption of
postharvest loss reduction technologies (PHLRTs) and poor access to remunerative
markets are considered as key drivers of the postharvest losses. Reduction of PHLs
require adoption of cost effective and acceptable PHL reduction technologies. It is against
this background that the Rockefeller Foundation is supporting a postharvest project
started by the University of Nairobi (UoN) to create awareness and provide applicable
PHLRTs to smallholder farmers. Some of these technologies are tunnel solar dryers,
charcoal and brick coolers.
Charcoal coolers and zero energy brick coolers are off-grid evaporative cooling
technologies which are appropriate for smallholder farmers without access to electricity.
Further, they are constructed from locally available materials making them accessible to
resource-poor smallholder farmers. Solar dryers reduce PHLs through drying of fruits
and vegetables into more shelf stable products such as mango leather and mango crisps
which fetch higher prices than the equivalent quantities of fresh mango fruits. Though
they are so important in this respect, their potential economic impact on smallholders has
not been well studied. Globally, these technologies are not new but their adoption in
Kenya is limited, and factors affecting their utilization and consumption of their valueadded
products are not well understood.
Therefore, the purpose of this study was to estimate the expected return on investment in
PHLRTs and willingness to pay (WTP) for the PHLRTs and their value-added products
among producers and consumers in Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to: (1) Estimate
the potential economic impact of PHLRTs among smallholder mango farmers in Embu
County; (2) Analyze smallholder mango farmers’ WTP for PHLRTs and its influencing
factors; and (3) Assess consumer awareness and WTP for solar-dried mangoes that are
naturally preserved in Nairobi County, Kenya.
Theoretically, this study is anchored on welfare economics and the random utility
maximization theory. The potential benefits of investing in PHLRTs were estimated
using the economic surplus model. The WTP was estimated using a double hurdle model.
Consumer awareness and WTP for naturally preserved solar dried mangoes (NPSDM)
were analysed descriptively, while a tobit model was employed to assess the determinants
of WTP. Multistage sampling procedure was adopted in this study. Embu and Machakos
Counties were purposively selected. Farmers in these Counties had previously been
trained on proper agronomic practices to reduce preharvest losses. These Counties also
contribute significantly to the total mango production in the country.
The proportionate to size sampling was used to determine the sample size in Masii and
Karurumo Locations of Machakos and Embu Counties, respectively. Systematic random
sampling was used to select 320 mango farmers in Masii and Karurumo Locations. Rising
incomes in urban centres is associated with increased expenditure on healthy food
choices, particularly fruits and vegetables. Nairobi county was chosen for the consumer
survey since it is the main consumption area of the dried fruit products. Accidental
sampling procedure was employed in selecting 414 buyers (consumers) from Zucchini,
Carrefour, Chandarana and Tuskys supermarkets in Nairobi. Quantitative and qualitative
research designs were used in this study. Both primary and secondary data were collected
using semi-structured questionnaires, literature review and key informants.
A cost–benefit analysis (CBA) of the postharvest project revealed that investment in the
proposed PHLRTs is viable. This profitability heavily depends on uptake of the
technologies and the cost of capital. It was found that the farmers’ likelihood of paying
for PHLRTs and WTP amount were positively influenced by price, agricultural group
membership and income from mangoes. Another significant factor was gender, which
negatively and positively influenced the probability to pay in Embu and Machakos,
respectively. However, age, experience, land tenure, market access and credit access
significantly influenced WTP amount negatively. Results revealed that the WTP amounts
for the PHLRTs were lower than the market prices.
Only 16% of the consumers were aware of solar dried mangoes. However, consumers
were willing to pay 29% more for NPSDM, with most of them interested in taste. This
WTP was found to be positively influenced by access to mass media for information on
food, purchase of mango products in retail stores and having tasted naturally preserved
mangoes. Therefore, promoting the product through the media and within the retail stores
is necessary to increase awareness and demand. These findings are vital in developing
niche markets for NPSDM.
The study concludes that investment in PHLRTs is viable and consumers are willing to
pay a premium for NPSDM. Further, viability of the technologies is expected to be higher
at higher adoption rates. However, the producers’ WTP amount was lower than the
market rate. Thus, the government should spur demand through enhanced extension
programmes and short-term price subsidies. Promotion of products resulting from the
tunnel solar dryer should also be undertaken to trigger demand among consumers.
2023-01-01T00:00:00Z