Farmers’ Knowledge, Perceptions and Attitudes on Crop-Dairy Goat Integration Farming System in Elgeyo Marakwet County

Juliana Cheboi (), Henry Greathead, Thobela Nkukwana and Marshall Keyster
Additional contact information
Juliana Cheboi: Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection, University of Nairobi, Nairobi P.O. Box 30197-00100, Kenya
Henry Greathead: School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
Thobela Nkukwana: Department of Animal Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
Marshall Keyster: Department of Biotechnology, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7535, South Africa

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Several interventions have been promoted in dry areas to improve food and nutrition insecurity. However, studies on the key drivers influencing adoption and uptake are limited. Therefore, research was undertaken to investigate farmers’ knowledge, perceptions and attitudes on an integrated crop–dairy goat farming system in Elgeyo Marakwet. A cross-sectional study entailing a household survey of 201 respondents, six key informant interviews and eight focus group discussions was undertaken. This study utilized a multi-stage sampling procedure to sample the farmers and calculated the sample size using Krejcie and Morgan tables. Quantitative data were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS software version 22, while qualitative data were analysed using N-vivo software version 10 through the Framework Analysis method. The findings show that drought (84.6%), change in rainfall pattern (77.6%), farm size (57.2%), unavailability of quality seeds (52.2%), fodder acreage (58.7%), diseases (69.7%) and pest severity (68.7%) are the principal drivers for adoption of the integrated crop–dairy goat farming system. Dairy goats are associated with women in this community since they are regarded as small animals and have no monetary value, hence increasing the participation of women in the access, control and decision making of agricultural resources. To increase adoption, strategies focusing on improving water supply, quality seeds, agro-veterinary services and production are advocated.

Keywords: climate-smart agriculture; improved household livelihoods; sustainable food; nutrition and income; smallholder farmers; integrated farming system; adoption indicators; Elgeyo Marakwet County (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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