Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
consideration in kale production. Farmers were conscious of the environmental and
health impacts of chemical control.
2.3.3.5
agroecosystem Health Goals
2.3.3.5.1 Participatory Method
Details of problems and concerns—as identified and prioritized by participants in
the village workshops—are given in Chapter 3. Concerns common to all ISSs were
availability of water for domestic use, poor roads, poor human health, and absence
of health care facilities. Only one village (Kiawamagira) had access to piped water,
and even then, the water was available for one half-day per week. Roads were mainly
loose surface, becoming impassable during the wet season. Due to the hilly terrain
of the Kiambu agroecosystem, flooding and gully formation are the biggest causes of
poor road condition. Among the agriculture-related problems were lack of artificial
insemination services, low crop yields, poor soil productivity, lack of markets for
produce, lack of extension services, and crop and animal diseases.
According to the participants, the main limitation to crop production in these
villages was land size, but climate and market (price) were also important. Limita-
tion to dairy production was seen to be mainly capital and feed-related constraints.
Food crop production was reported as limited mainly by soil fertility, which in turn
is a consequence mainly of soil erosion and depletion of nutrients. Poultry produc-
tion was reported as severely limited not only by diseases, especially Gumboro and
Newcastle, but also by market for eggs and meat. In terms of livestock, dairy cattle
were given a higher preference to small ruminants and poultry since the milk market
is available, and the returns were said to be higher. In all ISSs, consensus on needs
and goals was achieved. Committees of local participants were selected to oversee
the implementation of the action plans.
2.3.3.5.2 Survey Method
In the land-use unit survey, 35.3% of the respondents reported lack of extension
services as a constraint to productivity (Table 2.5). In contrast, 33.8% of the farmers
reported soil infertility as a constraint; land size was a constraint for 14.4% of the
table 2.5
constraints to Productivity as Reported by Respondents in a survey
of land-use units in the six Intensive survey sites
small
farm size
soil
Infertility
Inadequate
extension
lack of
labor
lack of
capital
flooding
Githima (% of 229 units)
23.1
70.3
48.9
3.1
14.8
0.0
Mahindi (% of 40 units)
22.5
52.5
47.5
10.0
0.0
0.0
Thiririka (% of 188 units)
7.4
27.1
31.4
1.1
3.2
14.9
Gikabu (% of 83 units)
15.7
21.7
28.9
4.8
8.4
0.0
Gitangu (% of 224 units)
7.6
4.9
25.0
17.9
0.9
0.0
Kiawamagira (% of 41 units)
24.4
24.4
34.1
2.4
0.0
7.3
Overall (% of 805 units)
14.4
33.8
35.3
2.2
6.1
3.9
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