Participatory Communication and Sedentary Livestock Keeping in Wajir County

Abstract

This study was undertaken to establish the role of participatory communication in influencing the uptake of sedentary livestock keeping in Wajir County. The objectives of the study were to examine the role of participatory communication in the uptake of sedentary livestock keeping; to explore the types of participatory communication strategies used to disseminate information regarding sedentary livestock keeping in Wajir County and to determine the challenges facing participatory communication between sedentary livestock keepers and government workers in Wajir County. The study used qualitative design to a large extent which involved collecting in-depth data using interview schedules and analyzing the data by direct quotation of the respondents interviewed during data collection. Data was collected using both questionnaires and interview schedules. A sample of 30 purposively selected respondents was used to collect data from a population of 1,947. The findings of the study revealed that a significant number of farmers are slowly embracing sedentary livestock farming partially attributable to increased levels of participatory communication in the area. Participatory communication was instrumental in creating more awareness about sedentary livestock keeping among the residents of Wajir. The study established that meetings as well few workshops were the most popular methods of conducting participatory communication during sedentary livestock dialogue. The study recommended that the government should encourage and organize frequent meetings where participatory communication could take place. It also recommends that more local agricultural extension officers should be employed so as to facilitate more and more families to switch to sedentary livestock farming.