Exploring Relevance of Agro Input Dealers in Disseminating and Communicating of Soil Fertility Management Knowledge: The Case of Siaya and Trans Nzoia Counties, Kenya

Abstract

In most parts of sub Saharan Africa (SSA), a lack of access to necessary agro-inputs contributes to low agricultural productivity and slows the overall economic growth and development. Agro-input dealers make inputs more easily accessible to rural-based smallholder farmers. This study assessed the role played by agro-input dealers in disseminating and communicating integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) practices and information to smallholder farmers in Siaya and Trans Nzoia counties in Kenya, and looked at agro-input dealers’ awareness of ISFM practices and communication channels used to access agricultural information. The study underscores the important role played by community based channels of communication in the ISFM knowledge dissemination and suggests a need to improve the provision of extension services to agro-input dealers to enable them effectively communicate information about ISFM technologies to farmers.