An Assessment of Effect of Agricultural Knowledge Management on Fall Army Worm (Faw) Control Technologies Among Smallholder Maize Farmers in Kilungu, Makueni County, Kenya

Abstract

Maize has a significant influence towards achieving food security in Kenya, given that it is the staple food in most rural communities. However, its production has drastically reduced, which is partly attributed to fall armyworm (FAW) infestation. This has led to losses of yield amounting to 37 % of the annual maize production over the last three years in Kenya. Despite innovators and breeders developing interventions and wealth of knowledge towards FAW infestation management and control, the annual maize yield remains low particularly in Makueni County. Further, the dissemination of knowledge on management interventions towards FAW management is limited among the smallholder farmers leading to a knowledge gap and huge maize pre-production losses. The diffusion of innovation theory emphasizes the impact of dissemination channels on adoption or application rate of any innovation or technology. It highlights interpersonal sources and channels as positive determinants for growth and development expected from adoption of an innovation. With apparent limited access to FAW infestation management practices and thus inadequate knowledge management structures, the study set out to assess the effect of knowledge management of fall armyworm (FAW) control technologies on maize yield in Kilungu, Makueni County, Kenya. The study conducted a survey using a structured questionnaire with key informants and households. The study sampled 387 respondents registered with the Ministry of Agriculture as maize producers in Kilungu, Makueni County. The study used purposive and multi-stage sampling procedures to reach the selected farmers. Study findings indicated a positive correlation between use of pesticides (p=0.002) and maize yield. From the study, there is a significant relationship between selection of FAW control practice (s) and farmer education, household size, land size under maize production. There is also a positive correlation between the use of ash and age as well as the area under maize production. There exists a negative correlation between selection of handpicking and farmer education. Further analysis showed a significant difference in productivity for respondents that used grouped sources (p=0.002) as opposed to single sources, with an above average (712 kg/acre) productivity for respondents that used sources from both documentary and non-documentary categories. Respondents that used non-documentary sources only had an average maize productivity of 257 kg/acre (p= 0.003) against 126 kg/acre for those that did not have access to any information on management of FAW infestation. Analysis of the sharing platforms found a significant difference in productivity for public gatherings known as barazas users (p= 0.033: 735 kg/acre) against the non- users. The study therefore recommends barazas facilitated by agronomists or researchers and farmer-to-farmer extension approaches as avenues for sharing knowledge on effective FAW management practices to reduce pre-harvest losses caused by FAW infestation in maize production.