Browsing by Author "Ouko, Kevin Okoth"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Determinants of adoption of sustainable agricultural practices among maize producers in Northern Uganda
    (Taylor & Francis Group, 2023-12-13) Midamba, Dick Chune; Kwesiga, Mary; Ouko, Kevin Okoth
    Abstract AbstractSustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) increase crop productivity. This is achieved by increasing soil fertility, preserving moisture in the soil, and reducing pest and disease build-up, among other significant roles. Strikingly, maize farmers are still deeply rooted into the traditional methods of production which do not consider the adoption of SAPs. As such, they report low maize yields. Similarly, despite government efforts to increase the adoption rate, farmers remain reluctant to adopt SAPs. Therefore, this study aims to determine the adoption intensity of SAPs and its determinants using data collected from 101 randomly selected farmers in Northern Uganda. The adoption index (AI) and Tobit model approaches were used to determine the adoption intensity and its determinants, respectively. Based on the results, adoption intensity stood at 70%, while the determinants of adoption of the selected SAPs were education level (P < 0.05), household size (P < 0.05), farm size (P < 0.01), ICT use (P < 0.05), access to market information (P < 0.01), extension visits (P < 0.05), and credit access (P < 0.10). The study recommended that smallholder farmers’ use of ICT in accessing information on the adoption of SAPs among other agricultural information, strengthening adult literacy programs, increasing extension visits, and encouraging farmers to access credit from low interest rates financial institutions would help in increasing the level of adoption of SAPs.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Socio – economic Factors Influencing Access to Agricultural Extension Services among Smallholder Farmers in Western Uganda
    (Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology, 2022) Midamba, Dick Chune; Muteti, Francisca Ndinda; Mpofu, Taddias Prince; Ouko, Kevin Okoth; Kwesiga, Mary; Ouya, Fredrick Ochieng; Chepkoech, Beatrice
    The low agricultural productivity reported in both cash and food crops across Uganda is attributed to inadequate skills on modern agriculture. Consequently, many studies have recommended that farmers should be trained on modern agriculture through extension service provision. Strikingly, majority of the farmers do not have access to extension services, a situation which contributes to low returns on investment in agriculture. The study determined the number of farmers with access to extension services, compared them against their counterparts without access to extension services and finally determined the factors affecting access to agricultural extension services using primary data collected from 200 farmers in western Uganda. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, Chi – square test and Binary logistic regression model. From the results, 42.5% of the farmers had access to extension services, those who had access to extension services reported higher crop yields than their counterparts. The significant factors affecting access to agricultural extension services included age (P<0.05), gender (P<0.05), education (P<0.01), distance to the extension areas (P<0.01), membership to agricultural associations (P<0.10) and access to credit (P<0.05). The policy recommendations include; supporting farmers through quick loans at low interest rates, strengthening and increasing the number of adult literacy programs, increasing the number of extension agents and encouraging farmers to join agricultural associations.