| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study was to identify the various factors influencing Milk
productivity in Machakos County, to establish the extent to which they influence
productivity and come up with recommendations on how to manage them for Improved
and sustainable Dairy production. The objectives of the study were: to evaluate the
influence of social demographic factors of age, gender and education of the farmers on
dairy productivity levels in Machakos County, to determine the extent to which Quality
of breeds and breeding systems influence dairy productivity in Machakos County, to
investigate the extent to which, Inputs influence Dairy productivity in Machakos County
and to determine the extent to which adoption of new technologies influences the level of
dairy productivity in Machakos County. The study was carried out in Wamunyu Dairy
Farmers’ Co-operative Society in Mwala Sub- County Machakos County. The study used
descriptive survey research design. A sample of 45 members was selected from a total of
224 active members of the society using cluster random sampling method. A semistructured
questionnaire was used for data collection. The questionnaire was validated by
experts from the University. Cronbach’s alpha method was used to affirm the reliability
of the instrument. The questionnaire was found to be reliable with a reliability index of
80.5% the collected data was edited coded and analyzed using Statistical package for
Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 17.0. The results of the study were presented in tables
and percentages. The study established that social demographic factors such as age,
gender and education levels of the farmers; cattle breeds and breeding systems,
availability and cost of inputs and the adoption of technology influenced the level of
dairy productivity in Wamunyu Dairy farmers’ Co-operative society in Machakos
County. The study recommends that Sensitization be carried out to increase the
participation of youth and women in dairy farming; Farmers be encouraged to have
succession plans in place for continuity of the dairy industry; The National and County
Governments and Non Governmental organizations should look for ways of subsidizing
the cost of Artificial insemination Services. Farmer groups should form alliances for
centralized procurement of inputs so as to benefit from economies of scale and increased
bargaining power. Farmers and farmer groups should form Savings and credit Cooperatives
to increase their access to financial services. The government and other
nongovernmental actors should continue sensitizing farmers on new technology and
methods that can be adopted to improve dairy productivity and mitigate the effects of
climate change. Farmers should be encouraged and motivated to make silage during the
wet season to ensure that they have adequate nutritional feeds for their animals during the
dry season. The government should exempt silage making materials and other
agricultural inputs from tax and increase the number of extension officers to increase
their outreach. The findings of the study are useful to the dairy farmers, the farmer
groups, The Lower Eastern Dairy Co-operative Alliance, the National Government,
County government of Machakos and the Non Governmental Organizations interested in
boosting milk productivity is semi arid regions. | en_US |
