Towards a regulatory framework for increased and Sustainable use of bio-fertilizers in kenya
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Date
2015-10Author
Ochieng, Regina ,A
Type
ThesisLanguage
enMetadata
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To meet the increasing food demand for a growing population, chemical fertilizers play
an important role in enhancing crop productivity. However, continuous use of chemical
fertilizers has caused pollution of the environment. Bio-fertilizers are environmentally
safe products that can be used to complement chemical fertilizers. Lack of policy and
legal framework on bio-fertilizers has weakened monitoring and control mechanisms thus
contributing to availability of low quality products in the Kenyan market. Thus, the
regulation of bio-fertilizers is necessary to ensure availability of adequate quality
products and an increased awareness and uptake by farmers. The aim of this study was to
examine whether the current regulatory framework provides mechanisms for appropriate
production and use of environmentally safe bio-fertilizers. Specifically, the study (i)
investigated the level of uptake of bio-fertilizers among farmers; (ii) assessed different
kinds of regulatory mechanisms used to regulate bio-fertilizers, (iii) explored best
practices of corrective measures in other countries, and (iv) investigated strategies that
could increase awareness and uptake of bio-fertilizers. The research involved field studies
whereby primary data was collected through administration of questionnaires and
interviews of key informants. Secondary data was obtained from relevant literature, and
best practices were inferred from regulations in Canada and India. Three hundred farmers
and thirty agro-dealers in ten villages were sampled to obtain information on bio-fertilizer
uptake in Siaya County. Interviews were conducted with national and international nongovernmental
organizations, industry players, regulatory bodies and Egerton University,
which is involved in quality verification of bio-fertilizers. Only one farmer in the
surveyed area (0.33 %) applied bio-fertilizer, indicating that the level of uptake of the
products among farmers was very low. The major factors affecting the uptake in the area
were lack of knowledge by farmers and agro-dealers, lack of product application
knowledge, lack of demand and resistance to change. The regulatory bodies revealed that
the current monitoring system is weak resulting in inefficient regulation of bio-fertilizers.
Lack of a legal framework to enforce regulation has lead to infiltration of low quality
products into the market. This is compounded by a lack of extensive research, training
and market development that are necessary in enhancing awareness of the products. It is
recommended that a comprehensive legal framework should be set in place to control for
quality of products and increase awareness on proper use and benefits of bio-fertilizers