Effect of Socio-Economic Characteristics of ResourcePoor Farmers on Food Security in Semi-Arid AgroEcological Zones of Nyakach, Kenya

Abstract

Resource-poor farmers make up over 95% of the farmers in the study area. They cannot afford artificial inputs into their farms, rather they rely on the intrinsic value of the soil, which once depleted then they are not able to produce food from their farms. This area being semi-arid implies that rainfall is low, unpredictable and variable. Soil fertility is low and supports only a few indigenous crops. The social and economic characteristics of these farmers determine their agricultural practices hence food availability, access and stability. Agriculture is the major source of food for these farmers’ households so their food security is determined by agricultural yields