Factors of Production and Agricultural Productivities Among Community-based Farming Projects in Suba Sub-county, Homa-Bay County

Abstract

Agricultural productivities is an important issue in Kenya’s agriculture sector. The Kenya Vision 2030 and the Agricultural Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy envisions a commercialized, resilient, and competitive smallholder farms. Smallholder farmers productivities are for home consumption, market, or a blend of the two. The study sought to understand the agricultural productivities among community-based farming projects in Suba Sub-County and the factors of production influencing them. The research used a cross-sectional survey with a sample size of 260 and return rate of 93% which comprised smallholder famers and key informants. An administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the sampled farmers while a key informant interview guide was used to interview key informants. The study found a weak positive correlation and statistically significant relationship between access to land and agricultural productivities (r= 0.227; P>0.001); access to market and agricultural productivities (r= 0.223; P>0.001); and access to technology and agricultural productivities (r= 0.136; P>0.035). The study also found a weak positive correlation and statistically insignificant relationship between infrastructure and agricultural productivities (r= 0.098; P<0.129) and between access to finance and agricultural productivities (r= 0.086; P<0.182). The study concluded that access to land, markets, and technology are key determinants of agricultural productivities among community-based farming projects while infrastructure and access to finance does not significantly influence agricultural productivities. It is recommended that that development actors, including the County government, national Government, and Non-State Actors to formulate policies and strategies, develop programs, and design and implement projects that facilitate access to land, market, and technology to spur agricultural productivities of community-based farming projects. It is also recommended that policies on inclusive financial access for farmers and improved infrastructure should be a key priority of County Government, national Government, and other key stakeholders. Further research should be conducted to assess the influence of other factors such as entrepreneurial spirit, county and national Government policies, NGO activities, and household characteristics among others. This research should also be replicated in other regions of the country to compare findings.