Effects of Farmers' Socio-economic Characteristics on Adoption of Push Pull Technology in Western Kenya: Insights from UPSCALE Project

Abstract

Agricultural technologies are being developed and improved to help in curbing constraints associated with agricultural production and income. Push pull Technology (PPT) is an organic approach in pest management that uses cereal asthe main crop and companion crops as Brachiaria.spp and desmodium.spp. UPSCALING the benefits of PPT and its adoption has the potential forintensification of farming systems, addressesfood security, livelihoods and climate change resilience in Kenya and beyond while reducing the environmental impact of agricultural practices. The technology significantly reduces Fall Army Worm (FAW), Striga weed and stem borer infestation which is still major menace to cereal yield losses in Kenya. Maize worth USD 1.5b is lost annually due to stem bore in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). Maize is a staple food in East Africa. PPT enhances quality of grains, retains soil moisture, improves soil fertility and protects the soil from erosion thus hasthe potential to increase cereal yields by 25 per cent-30 per cent. Thisstudy was done in Western Kenya with a focus of determining the effects of farmers' socio-economic characteristics on adoption of PPT. Sample size of 304 maize household farmers from five counties with UPSCALE project were proportionately sampled. Questionnaires and key informant interviews (KII) were used for data collection. The findings revealed that Striga weeds, stem borer and fall army worms are still the major menaces. Farmers practiced PPT for various combined reasons which included; to control striga, to increase crop productivity and to control stem borer at 76.70 per cent, 59.09 per cent and 57.39 per cent respectively. The outstanding observation is that only a few farmers (3.41%) practiced PPT as a response to climate change. This could be due to labourintensification of the technology.