AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION VIA RADIO

Transcription

1 AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION VIA RADIO BASELINE SURVEY REPORT September 2015

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENT... iv ACRONYMS... v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... vi LIST OF TABLES... viii LIST OF FIGURES... ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Background Rationale and Justification Scope and Coverage Objectives of the Survey CHAPTER TWO: APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY Approach to the Survey Survey Design Sampling Data Collection and Analysis Techniques Data Collection Data Analysis Validity of Findings Limitations of the Survey CHAPTER THREE: KEY FINDINGS Introduction Demographic Profiles Household Socio-economic Characteristics Land Ownership and size Occupation/Income source Household Annual Incomes from farming enterprises Household decision making Media Use Patterns and Intensity Agricultural Information Access and Sources Television Radio Baseline Survey (2015) ii

3 3.5.3 Newspapers Internet Cell Phone Preference of the Sources of Agricultural Information Media Preference Reasons for Media Preference Other Sources of Agricultural Information Membership and Services from Groups or Cooperatives Agricultural extension services Access and frequency of Agricultural Extension Services Categorization and Adequacy of Agricultural Extension Services Cost of Agricultural Extension Services Other Sources of Agricultural Extension Services Role of Agro dealers in provision of Agricultural Extension Services Benefits of Agricultural Extension Services Challenges in Delivery of Agricultural Extension Services CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Conclusions Recommendations ANNEXURE Annex 1: Recommended Issues/Topics for Future Radio Programmes Annex 2: Household Questionnaire Annex 3: Focus Group Guide: Farmers Annex 4: Focus Group Guide: Extension Officers and Radio Staff Annex 5: List of participants in Focus Group Discussion and In-depth interviews Annex 6: Pictorial Presentation of the Baseline Survey Baseline Survey (2015) iii

4 ACKNOWLEDGMENT Kilimo Media International extends sincere gratitude to Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture for the financial support to undertake this survey. We acknowledge the input by officers from the County Departments of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries for Marsabit, Samburu and West Pokot Counties for their invaluable support in facilitating and ensuring the success of this baseline study. We also appreciate the co-operation and contribution of the research assistants who assisted in data collection. This vital information could not have been obtained without the support and cooperation of the farmer groups and the extension officers in the three counties and many others who took time to respond to our interviews. To all persons who contributed in one way or another to ensure the success of this survey and have not been mentioned, kindly accept our profound gratitude. Pamela Mburia, Executive Director, Kilimo Media International Baseline Survey (2015) iv

5 ACRONYMS DALF FGD HH ICT KEPHIS KiMI MoALF Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Focus Group Discussion Household Information Communication Technology Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service Kilimo Media International Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Baseline Survey (2015) v

6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The agriculture sector in developing countries is increasingly becoming knowledge intensive as new information is generated and modern technology continues to be developed and used in agricultural activities. It therefore becomes important to enhance access to reliable, timely and relevant information delivered through media that is preferred by the farmers. This calls for an understanding of the farmers agricultural information needs and preferred sources to guide agricultural extension and implementation of other agricultural programs. Kenya s Medium Term Plan II has identified agricultural extension as a critical driver of growth and productivity in the agricultural sector. Agricultural Extension via Radio in Northern Kenya is a one year project being implemented in five northern Kenya counties by Kilimo Media International (KiMI) in collaboration with the departments of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (DALF) and supported by Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture. The project aims to increase agricultural productivity in the region by enhancing access to agricultural information through extension services provided through radio to farmers in Marsabit, Garissa, West Pokot, Samburu and Isiolo counties. It will also cause them to seek out agricultural stakeholders for their much needed services and inputs. In order to establish the current status of the target group, develop an entry strategy to the communities and identify the project indicators, KiMI undertook a baseline survey in three of the five counties: Marsabit, Samburu and West Pokot. Data was collected in the three counties through household questionnaires, focus group discussion guides, key informant interviews and desk research of related literature. From a target sample of 205 questionnaires, 172 questionnaires were administered to farmers of which 60 were through telephone calls. Overall, the study results indicate a gap in accessing information mainly due to the low literacy levels in the three counties, with 33.9% having no education and 45.4% having primary education. In addition, the majority (97.2%) of the smallholder farmers own the land privately with their main source of household incomes being both livestock and crop production. The men (husbands) in most households in all the three counties make the decisions on land use and use of income from farming enterprises. The results also indicate that radio and cell phones are the most preferred media for disseminating agricultural information with the majority of the smallholder farmers admitting to using the two media almost daily in their quest to get agricultural information. The farmers also stated that listening to the occasional radio programmes on agriculture had assisted them acquire knowledge and skills which they have utilized especially in ensuring proper crop production, seed selection, new farming techniques, pests, weeds and disease control, among others. The most preferred time by farmers for listening to agricultural programmes is: 8-10pm, 6-8pm, 7-9am and 1-2pm in order of preference. Among their most preferred topics were improving livestock production especially dairy farming, weeds, pests and disease control, general farm management measures and dry land farming, among other topics. Majority of the farmers are receiving extension services across the three counties from public sources which according to most recipients are inadequate due to the irregular visits, few offices and officers on the ground and inaccessibility of some very remote areas. Most Baseline Survey (2015) vi

7 of these services are free as they are mostly provided by the government through the agricultural extension officers, which also means that they are rarely provided. The survey also established from the farmers that their other preferred sources of agricultural information included: farmers groups, agricultural shows/demonstrations, through friends/relatives/neighbours and through meetings called by local administrators, among others. With over 56% of the farmers being members a farmer s group/cooperative, it was evident that the groups can be an entry point for the project as well as a platform for capacity building. Based on the survey findings and results, the following recommendations were drawn: 1. Radio for agricultural extension should be demand-driven where the farmers are allowed to take the lead in identifying issues and topics they would like addressed in the programmes, based on their agricultural information needs; 2. For effective programming, the project is encouraged to invest in an active feedback systems for farmers to evaluate impact and recommend how the delivery of the radio broadcast will be improved; 3. In implementing the radio for extension interventions, it is important to have radio content and broadcast timing that are gender responsive, for the programmes to reach women and other segments of the population; 4. It will be important to continuously enhance the capacity of men and women farmers, radio station staff, extension officers and other stakeholders for effective programming and use of radio in extension and agricultural advisory services; 5. In as much as radio is the most preferred medium of agricultural information dissemination, it will be important for the project to consider integrating other forms of ICT like mobile phones for more interaction, feedback and impact. Baseline Survey (2015) vii

8 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Respondents' demographic profiles Table 2: Size of the household Table 3: Land ownership Table 4: Size of land owned Table 5: Farming enterprises among households Table 6: Annual HH Incomes Table 7: HH Decision Making on Land Use Table 8: HH Decision making on use of income from farming enterprises Table 9: Television access for agricultural programmes Table 10: Frequency of watching agricultural programmes on TV Table 11: Radio Listenership for Agricultural Programmes Table 12: Frequency of Listening to Agricultural Programmes on Radio Table 13: Radio Stations Listened across the Counties Table 14: Utilization of agricultural information from radio programmes Table 15: Preferred Time for Listening to Radio Programmes Table 16: Use of Newspapers for Agricultural Information Table 17: Frequency of reading Newspapers for Agricultural Information Table 18: Access of Internet for Agricultural Information Table 19: Frequency of Internet Use of Agricultural Information Table 20: Access and Use of Cell Phones for Agricultural Information Table 21: Frequency of Using Cell Phones for Agricultural Information Access Table 22: Media Preference across the Counties Table 23: Reasons for choice of preferred media Table 24: Other Preferred Sources of Information Table 25: Membership to Farmers Groups or Cooperatives Table 26: Benefits from being group or cooperative members Table 27: Access to Extension Services Table 28: Frequency of Accessing Extension Services Table 29: Other Alternative Sources of Extension Services Table 30: Benefits of Extension Services to Smallholder Farmers Baseline Survey (2015) viii

9 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Media Use Patterns and Frequency Figure 2: Comparison of Overall Media use Figure 3: Most recommended topics for future radio programming Figure 4: Reasons for low readership of Newspapers Figure 5: use of Internet for Agricultural Informatin across the age groups Figure 6: Preference of Media across the gender Figure 7: Categorization and Adequacy of Received Extension Services Figure 8: Proportion Receiving Visits from the Agricultural Extension Officers Baseline Survey (2015) ix

10 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.0 Background Agricultural Extension via Radio in Northern Kenya is one year project focussing on reaching farmers with appropriate information through radio, in five northern Kenya Counties: Samburu, West Pokot, Garissa, Isiolo and Marsabit. The project is implemented by Kilimo Media International (KiMI) in partnership with the Departments of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (DALF) in the five counties and supported by the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture. The Project will work with four radio stations in the five counties to provide information on farming practices and other services for smallholder farmers, using their local languages. The stations include Kalya FM which covers West Pokot and the wider North Rift broadcasting in Pokot language, Star FM covering Marsabit, Isiolo and Garissa broadcasting in Borana, Somali and Swahili languages, Serian FM in Samburu and broadcasting in Samburu Language, and the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation in Isiolo and Marsabit broadcasting in Rendille and Borana languages. According to the Kenya census survey of 2009, a majority of the households in the five counties own or have access to a radio. KiMI, being the lead implementer, will utilize its already established partnerships with radio stations and agricultural experts across the country to develop radio programmes that are relevant to the smallholder farmers in the five counties. The county Departments of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries will avail technical expertise in the development of content for the radio programmes. At project inception, a baseline survey is required to establish the farming communities structures, agricultural information needs, community entry points, downstream partners and establish baseline indicators against which the impact will be measured. 1.2 Rationale and Justification During inception of the Project, KiMI undertook a baseline survey to establish the current status of the target population, inform any changes in design of the Project, implementation and form a baseline (identify Project indicators) against which monitoring and evaluation will be undertaken during the project year. Baseline surveys also give information which forms a basis for setting performance targets and ensures accountability to Project partners and other stakeholders. The baseline was also aimed at identifying community agricultural information needs, creating awareness and giving the agricultural programming a community buy-in. During the survey, potential participating institutions were approached and engaged after awareness creation and understanding of the Project. 1.4 Scope and Coverage The project baseline survey covered the five counties of Marsabit, Samburu, Garissa, Isiolo and West Pokot, targeting smallholder farmers, the local extension officers, staff from participating radio stations and the key opinion leaders. However, due to the fact that Garissa, Isiolo and Marsabit share the same cultural, environmental and social Baseline Survey (2015) 10

11 characteristics and are also served by the same FM station, a sample was only drawn from Marsabit to represent the two counties (Garissa and Isiolo). 1.5 Objectives of the Survey The main objective of the survey was to determine the current status of agricultural extension in the three counties while setting a baseline against which the impact of the project would be assessed. Specifically, the survey was aimed at: 1. Identifying the communities social structure and potential entry points including access to radio and the preferred language of use; 2. Establishing the baseline socioeconomic status of the communities for impact assessment later; 3. Identifying the farming enterprises knowledge and practices within the communities; 4. Establishing the access to and constraints in extension services; 5. Identifying the role of the radio as a source of agricultural information within the farming communities of Kenya; 6. Establishing current sources of agricultural inputs and technology; 7. Identifying the radio based agricultural informational needs within the community; Baseline Survey (2015) 11

12 CHAPTER TWO: APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY This chapter details the approach and the methodology that was employed in undertaking the baseline survey including the sampling methods, how data was collected and analysed as well as the limitations to the study. 2.1 Approach to the Survey The approach to the survey was both participatory and consultative to ensure that the objectives and research questions were fully addressed. Primary and secondary data was collected through quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative data was collected through well-structured questionnaires which were administered face-to-face and through telephone interviews to the expected project beneficiaries (smallholder farmers), while the qualitative data was collected through focus group guides, in-depth interview guides, observation checklists and recorded rapid appraisals from key opinion leaders (chiefs, assistant chiefs, county officials), community members, local agricultural extension officers, radio staff and farmer group/association members. Respondents for the telephone interviews were randomly sampled from the listener databases of the radio stations. The survey also relied on desk review where a range of literature on agricultural extension through radio and past success stories on the same were reviewed and analysed. Past projects baseline surveys were also reviewed to understand community characteristics, approaches, issues and challenges, critical success factors and the best practices when undertaking projects of similar nature. 2.2 Survey Design The survey adopted a descriptive survey design which is normally appropriate when dealing with a large population. The design allows for the description of the current state of affairs as they exist. The design also allows for the assessment of the characteristics of the whole population. 2.3 Sampling The study utilized the multi stage sampling with the Slovin s formula being used to calculate a representative sample. Purposive sampling was used to decide on the counties where the survey would be undertaken. Garissa and Isiolo have similar socio-economic characteristics with Marsabit and are served by the same radio station as Marsabit. Thus, purposively, Marsabit was selected to represent the two counties. Samburu and West Pokot were the other counties selected. From the three counties, a sample was drawn based on the statistics on the smallholder farmers in the three counties as per the census survey 2009 data. Slovin s formula was used to calculate the sample size from a sampling frame of 66,833 smallholder farmers. This formula was used because it is essential in calculating the sample sizes in a population whose behaviour and attitudes are not known (see formula below). Baseline Survey (2015) 12

13 Where: n = Sample Size N = Population size (in this case, 66,833) e = Level of Precision (at 93% confidence level=0.07) A sample size of 204 respondents was drawn from the sampling frame. This was then distributed to each county as indicated in the table below based on several factors including: radio stations serving the three counties, size of target population, representation of the two other counties etc. Sub-County Target Population Sample Size (HHs) West Pokot 57, Samburu 4, Marsabit 5, TOTAL 66, Source: Census Report 2009, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Random sampling was then utilized in selecting the households to be interviewed in all the three counties. Some respondents from the three counties were also interviewed via the phone (a total of 60 respondents). 2.4 Data Collection and Analysis Techniques Data Collection Triangulation was utilized in collecting data from the various targeted respondents to enhance the validity and reliability. This involved the use of various data collection methods which included: Desk Review The survey utilized desk review for collecting secondary data where a range of literature related to agricultural extension through radio and ICT, Past successful projects of similar Baseline Survey (2015) 13

14 nature, agriculture related reports related to Northern Kenya, other baseline surveys among other literature. The review of the secondary literature generally assisted in developing an in-depth understanding on the current best practices and issues regarding use of radio and ICT in agriculture globally and regionally Interviews The use of interviews as a data collection method began with the assumption that the respondents perspectives were meaningful, knowable, and able to be made explicit, and that their perspectives affected the success of the project. Interviews were selected when interpersonal contact was important and when follow up of interesting comments was desired. Three types of interviews were used in the survey: structured interviews in which a carefully worded questionnaire was administered with the emphasis being to obtain correct answers (See Appendix 1); in-depth interviews, in which the interviewer did not follow a rigid form. In the former, the emphasis was on obtaining answers to carefully phrased questions; and telephone interviews with radio listeners (those who call in). In these interviews, listeners from Kalya Radio, Serian FM and Star FM radio stations were randomly sampled from the lists of listener telephone numbers obtained from the radio stations and were asked a set of similar questions. The assumption was that most of these listeners are farmers, or potential farmers Interviewers were thoroughly trained to deviate only minimally from the question wording to ensure uniformity of interview administration. In the latter, however, the interviewers sought to encourage free and open responses. The goal of the interviews was to elicit rich, detailed material that can be used in analysis. All these interviews were conducted face to face Observations The survey also utilized observational techniques to gather first hand data on the current observable status of smallholder farmers, their attitudes and behaviours that were observable Focus Group Discussions (FGD) Focus groups were used as a combination for both interviewing and participant observation. The focus groups were used to generate data and insights that would be unlikely to emerge without the interaction found in a group. Focus groups involved 8 to 12 people who shared some characteristics relevant to the common issues under discussion (see appendix 5 for a list of the groups engaged in FGDs). Baseline Survey (2015) 14

15 Photo 1: Totum women Group from West Pokot during a focus group discussion Baseline Survey (2015) 15

16 Key Informant Interviews Key informants relevant to the county administration, radio staff and project implementation were selected and interviewed in-depth. Photo 2: In-depth Interview with DALF staff from Samburu County Key informant s helped in giving a better understanding of the issues being investigated Case Analysis Case analysis was based on case study of past successful projects of similar nature in Africa and globally. This was aimed at drawing critical lessons learnt in implementing similar projects, issues, challenges and how to handle them as well as the critical success factors in implementing such projects Data Analysis Quantitative data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The software enabled the analysis and cross-tabulation of the in form of tables and charts. Simple descriptive statistics including the measures of variability (i.e. Frequency, range, percentiles, and standard deviation) and measures of central tendency (i.e. mean, median and mode) were used to present the quantitative data. On the other hand, qualitative data was analysed using Nudist software package which enabled the organization and generation of data according to the themes which were developed in line with the objectives of the study. 2.5 Validity of Findings The validity of findings was achieved in a number of ways. Firstly, triangulation of results occurred through five ways: a) Exploration of the same issues using different approaches and tools; b) Exploration of issues in different homogenous audiences ; c) Use of multi-disciplinary teams with different areas of expertise and interest; Baseline Survey (2015) 16

17 d) Discussion of issues raised by the audiences with key informants; and e) Comparing the findings with secondary data. Secondly, a pre-test of the survey tools ensured that they met the reliability and validity tests before actual fieldwork was undertaken. 2.6 Limitations of the Survey At the time of conducting the study, the insecurity situations in counties located in the Northern Kenya (Garissa, Isiolo, Samburu, and Marsabit) hindered penetration to local communities causing challenges in terms of accessibility and mobilizing the respondents. However, the local research assistants used in these counties were able to penetrate and conduct interviews amid the volatility. The financial resources originally budgeted for the activity further limited the sample size as well as the distribution of the sample all around the counties. Baseline Survey (2015) 17

18 CHAPTER THREE: KEY FINDINGS 3.1 Introduction This chapter presents the detailed results and findings from the analysis of the collected data. The findings are presented based on the objectives of the baseline survey as well as the identified key indicators. Data has also been segregated in gender, county and the type of farming. 3.2 Demographic Profiles A total of 172 respondents were interviewed during the survey, with 68 respondents (39.5%) from West Pokot, 57 (33.1%) from Samburu and 47 (27.3%) being from Marsabit County. This translates to a survey response rate of 84% which is well above the acceptable level. The demographic characteristics of the households are shown by table 1 below. Table 1: Respondents' demographic profiles County Frequency Percent (%) Marsabit West Pokot Samburu Total Gender Male Female Total Age Above Total Marital status Single Married Widowed Total Level of education No education Baseline Survey (2015) 18

19 Primary Secondary Undergraduate Postgraduate Total Majority of the respondents (59.3%) were male within the ages of years old (24.1%) and years old (22.3%). In addition, 85.7% of the respondents were married while the rest were either single (9.8%) or widowed. The literacy levels were fairly low with 33.9% of the respondents having no education and 46.4% having only primary level education. Education levels are known to affect the behaviours and attitudes as well as preferences of people in terms of information needs. Approximately, only one in every ten respondents had University level education. The household size was also assessed with many households having 2 members on average. Table 2: Size of the household HH Size Frequency Percent (%) 1-4 members members members Total Mode 2 Average 2 However, the results also indicate that majority of the households (23.9%) have between 5-9 family members, followed by those with members. 3.3 Household Socio-economic Characteristics The SES characteristics are indicators of a household s economic and social position in relation to others based on the annual household income, level of education, the sources of income/occupation, ownership of assets as well as household decision making Land Ownership and size Land is an important asset which indicates the socio-economic status of a household. Results from the survey indicate that majority of the smallholder farmers (97.2%) have privately owned land, while 1.8% own the land through community ownership. Only 0.9% of the respondents indicated that they were leasing the land as shown in table 3 below. Table 3: Land ownership Ownership Frequency Percent (%) Private Communal Leasing Total Baseline Survey (2015) 19

20 The size of land owned by the households was also small in acreage. The table 4 below indicates that 77.4% of the households that owned land privately had less than 5 acres, while all those who owned land communally or through leasing also owned less than 5 acres. Table 4: Size of land owned Size of the farm Land Ownership Size of land Private Communal Leasing Less than 5 acres 77.4% 100.0% 100.0% 6-10 acres 16.0%.0%.0% acres 1.9%.0%.0% Over 16 acres 4.7%.0%.0% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% This is a good indicator that majority of the respondents were smallholder farmers with only over 6% owning over 10 acres of land Occupation/Income source Various farming enterprises were assessed which included livestock farming, crop production and others including running a business. Table 5: Farming enterprises among households County Total Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Livestock 5.4% 3.6% 7.1% 5.4% HH Crop production 19.9% 23.2% 32.1% 8.1% Farming enterprises Livestock and crop production 62.4% 71.4% 35.7% 75.7% Other (e.g. Business/trading) 12.4% 1.8% 25.0% 10.8% TOTAL 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% From table 5 above, it is evident that majority of the smallholder farmers (62.4%) engage in both livestock and crop production. Across the counties, the situation is the same with 71.4% of small holder farmers in Samburu, 35.7% in Marsabit and 75.7% in West Pokot engaging in both livestock and crop production. There is a balance in Marsabit County with crop production, business/trading also being popular enterprises with the respondents Household Annual Incomes from farming enterprises The annual HH incomes is an indicator of the household s economic status and security as well as their welfare. Table 6 below indicates that 51.3% of the smallholder farmers were earning between 10,000 50, 000 KShs annually, with a total of 21.8% earning over 50,000 KShs from the farming enterprises that they undertake. Table 6: Annual HH Incomes HH Annual Income Income Range County Total Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Below 10,000 KShs 26.9% 25.0% 53.8% 12.5% 10,000-50,000 KShs 51.3% 25.0% 46.2% 56.3% 50, ,000 KShs 12.8% 20.8% Baseline Survey (2015) 20

21 More than 100,000 KShs 9.0% 50.0% 10.4% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Across the three counties, five in every ten respondents in Samburu County were earning more than 100,000 KShs, 53.8% in Marsabit County are earning below 10,000 KShs while 56.3% in West Pokot are earning between 10,000 50,000 KShs from the farming enterprises they engage in Household decision making The survey also assessed the household decision making in terms of land use, household incomes and the justification for identification of the decision maker. Table 7: HH Decision Making on Land Use Decision making on land use County Total Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Husband and Wife 20.5% 27.0% 18.5% 16.7% Husband 63.4% 54.1% 66.7% 68.8% Wife 12.5% 16.2% 14.8% 8.3% Mother and Children 3.6% 2.7% 6.3% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Generally, it is evident from the survey results that decisions on land use in 63.4% of the households interviewed are made by the husband. Across the counties, the situation is the same with 54.1% of the households in Samburu, 66.7% in Marsabit and 68.8% in West Pokot indicating that decisions on land use are made by the husband. In terms of decisions on use of income from the farming enterprises, there is a balance on who makes decisions with 48.5% of the respondents indicating that the decisions are made by the husband while 38.4% indicating they are made by both the husband and the wife. Baseline Survey (2015) 21

22 Table 8: HH Decision making on use of income from farming enterprises Decision making on Income use County Total Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Husband and Wife 38.4% 50.0% 30.8% 32.4% Husband 48.5% 36.1% 53.8% 56.8% Wife 12.1% 13.9% 15.4% 8.1% Mother and Children 1.0% 2.7% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% However, across the counties, the trend is slightly different. In Samburu County, 50% of the respondents indicated that both husband and wife make decisions on income use while 53.8% in Marsabit and 56.8% in West Pokot indicated that the husband makes decisions on how income from farming enterprises will be utilized. 3.4 Media Use Patterns and Intensity The media use partners and intensity sought to assess whether the target beneficiaries utilize the main channels of information dissemination and the frequency of utilization. The channels included: Television, radio, newspapers, internet and cell phones Almost every day Several times a week Rarely Never Television Radio Newspapers Internet Cell phone Figure 1: Media Use Patterns and Frequency From the figure above it is evident that radio and cell phones are the most frequently used media in all the three counties with 89.1% and 86.3% of the respondents respectively indicating that they use the media almost daily. Notable however is the proportion which indicated they never watch television (56.7%), read newspapers (68.0%) and use the internet (86.1%). This findings cut across all the three counties. Baseline Survey (2015) 22

23 3.5 Agricultural Information Access and Sources The survey also sought to establish the various and most preferred sources of agricultural information in the target areas. Among the indicators utilized are the programmes on the media, time, frequency, preferred station, language and the other sources of agricultural information. The figure 2 below compares the access and use of the various media for agricultural information Radio Mobile Phone Television Internet Newspapers Figure 2: Comparison of Overall Media use It is evident from the results that radio is the most common medium of information dissemination across the three counties as six in every ten smallholder farmers indicated they usually listen to agricultural programmes on radio. Five in every ten smallholder farmers used mobile phone to get agricultural information while internet (15.9%) and newspapers were the least (11%) used media. This is attributed to the fact that internet and newspapers are expensive and require the user to be literate Television Access to television Overall, it was evident from the findings that 80% of smallholder farmers in all the counties do not watch any agricultural programmes on television. This is attributed to the fact that majority of the homesteads in the three counties do not own a television. This cuts across the three counties as well with Marsabit having the largest proportion (45.8%) of smallholder farmers who watch agricultural programmes on television. Baseline Survey (2015) 23

24 Table 9: Television access for agricultural programmes Watch agriculture programmes on TV Gender County Male Female Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Total Yes 25.0% 14.3% 10.7% 45.8% 10.5% 20.0% No 75.0% 85.7% 89.3% 54.2% 89.5% 80.0% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Across the genders, both men and women (75% and 85.7% respectively) do not watch agricultural programmes through TV as a result of not having TV sets in their homes. However, it is important to note that for the proportion that indicated that they watch agricultural programmes through TV, 25% were men while only 14.3% were women. This was attributed to the lack of time to watch TV for women due to the various roles that they are expected to play in the household Frequency of watching television Respondents who had TV sets in their houses and could watch agricultural programmes were also assessed in terms of how frequently they watch these programmes. Table 10: Frequency of watching agricultural programmes on TV Frequency of watching agri programmes Gender County Male Female Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Total Once a week 44.4% 30.0% 30.0% 50.0% 37.5% 39.3% Rarely 55.6% 70.0% 70.0% 50.0% 62.5% 60.7% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Overall, six in every ten respondents indicated that they rarely watched television while across the genders, seven in every ten women rarely watched television. This is attributed to the roles given to the women who therefore have no time to sit and watch television. Across the county, only three in every ten people in Samburu watched agricultural programmes on TV once a week, four in every ten people in West Pokot watched while in Marsabit five in every ten people indicated they watched the agricultural programmes once every week Television stations, Timing and Language Majority of the respondents who watched agricultural programmes on TV confirmed that they watched them on Citizen TV and KBC TV stations which utilized Kiswahili language in disseminating the agricultural information. Kiswahili is easily understood by even the illiterate farmers while the two stations are easily accessible in these counties. Most of these respondents usually watched these programmes between 1-2 pm, 3-8 pm and 8-10 pm which is when they have free time or were not engaged in work Radio Overall, radio was the most used medium in accessing agricultural information. According to the census survey 2009, 67,108 households in Samburu were accessing radio, 175,559 Baseline Survey (2015) 24

25 households in West Pokot and 75, 415 households in Marsabit had access to radio. It is expected that these numbers have gone up six years down the line which may explain why radio is a common channel for information dissemination Access to Radio Results on the table 11 below indicate that 59.3% of the smallholder farmers interviewed listened to agricultural programmes on radio. Table 11: Radio Listenership for Agricultural Programmes Listen to agri programmes on radio Gender County Male Female Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Total Yes 59.6% 58.8% 52.6% 37.5% 74.4% 59.3% No 40.4% 41.2% 47.4% 62.5% 25.6% 40.7% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Across the counties, the majority of Samburu (52.6%) and West Pokot (74.4%) smallholder farmers indicated that they listened to agricultural programmes on radio. However, the listenership in Marsabit was low (37.5%) with six in every ten respondents indicating that they do not listen to agricultural programmes on radio. This can be attributed to the fact that majority of these respondents had indicated that they own TV and access agricultural information from TV. Across the genders, male and female listenership was balanced at 59.6% and 58.8% respectively. This indicates that there is no significant difference in listenership across the gender. The use of radio was further emphasized in discussions with the extension officers who indicated radio as the most effective media for disseminating agricultural information. This was also supported by farmers during the discussions with them as indicated in the verbatim below..radio ndio mzuri kwa sababu kila mtu ako nayo na inahitaji battery pekee. Pia inaleta vipindi kwa lugha yetu ambayo inaeleweka na pia wakulima wanaweza skiza vipindi wakiwa mahali popote, wakati wowote member of Totum Women Group Frequency of Radio listenership Overall, 53.2% rarely listen to agricultural programmes on radio while 12.7% listen to them daily. Across the counties, 21.1% of the respondents in West Pokot indicated that they listen to agriculture programmes daily which was the highest proportion across the counties. However, 76.9% and 80% in Samburu and Marsabit rarely listened to agricultural programmes on radio as indicted in table 12 below. Across the genders six in every ten women rarely listened to agricultural programmes as compared to four in every ten men. However, of note is that 16.2% of the women listened to agricultural programmes on daily basis as compared to 9.5% of the men. This consistency can be attributed to the fact that men are rarely home when the programmes are aired as compared to women who are mostly at home. Baseline Survey (2015) 25

26 Table 12: Frequency of Listening to Agricultural Programmes on Radio Frequency of listening to agri programmes on radio Gender County Male Female Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Total Daily 9.5% 16.2% 3.8% 6.7% 21.1% 12.7% Once a week 45.2% 21.6% 19.2% 13.3% 52.6% 34.2% Rarely 45.2% 62.2% 76.9% 80.0% 26.3% 53.2% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Overall, more men (total of 54.7%) than women (37.8%) listen to agricultural programmes on radio on weekly basis (at least once a week or daily) Radio stations, timing and language The most listened to radio stations as are indicated in table 13 below. Across the counties, smallholder farmers in Samburu county listen to Serian FM and Citizen Radio; KBC radio, Star FM and Sifa FM in Marsabit County, Kalya, KBC radio, Citizen radio, Radio maisha and Imani FM in West Pokot with Kalya and KBC having the majority of listeners. Table 13: Radio Stations Listened across the Counties Radio stations listened County Radio stations Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Serian 77.8% - - KBC % 24.2% Radio Maisha % Sifa FM % - Citizen 22.2% % Imani % Kalya FM % Star FM % - Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% In terms of the language of broadcasting, Kiswahili, Samburu, Borana and Pokot which are the local languages that are easily understood by the farmers are utilized. This is one of the critical success factors of information dissemination through radio. The respondents who admitted to listening to agricultural programmes on radio indicated that they normally listened to them between 6-10 am, 4-8 pm and 8-10 pm. Baseline Survey (2015) 26

27 Utilization of the Information from Radio Programmes Disseminated information is useful when it makes the subjects knowledgeable so that they can apply the skills and knowledge gained. Table 14: Utilization of agricultural information from radio programmes Utilization of agricultural information from Radio programmes Percent (%) Proper crop production measures (spacing, early planting & fertilizer use) 28.2% Selection of appropriate seeds for planting 11.5% Adopting of new farming techniques 10.3% Improving pest and disease control 9.0% Improvement of poultry production 7.7% Protection of farm against wildlife 6.4% Improvement of water harvesting in households 5.1% Improvement of dairy farming management 5.1% Improvement of soil fertility 3.8% Improving of vegetable farming 3.8% Control of livestock disease 2.6% Proper fencing of the farm 2.6% Marketing and control of market prices 2.6% Planting of bee forage trees 1.3% Total 100.0% It is evident from the table 14 above that majority of the smallholder farmers have learnt and practiced proper crop production measures like spacing, early planting, fertilizer application among others; seed selection and new/modern farming techniques Agricultural Issues to be addressed in future Radio Programmes The smallholder farmers also gave recommendations on the various agricultural issues or topics that they would like to hear on radio in future programmes (see annex 1). Overall, Majority of the smallholder listeners would wish to listen to topics on how to improve livestock production especially dairy cattle, how to control weeds, pests and diseases for both livestock and crops and general farm management measures (spacing, early planning, fertilizer application among others) as shown by the Figure 3 below which is an extract of the many recommended issues/topics. Notably is that across the counties, there exists two common topics among the three most preferred per county. These include weed, pests and disease control and general farm management measures. Baseline Survey (2015) 27

28 Figure 3: Most recommended topics for future radio programming Preferred Time for Future Radio Programmes Respondents were also requested to recommend their preferred time for listening to furure agricultural programmes on radio for convenience. From the Table 15 below, majority of the listeners in Samburu County (40.4%) would like to listen to the programmes between 6-8pm, 42.6% in Marsabit and 50% in West Pokot would prefer 8-10pm. Table 15: Preferred Time for Listening to Radio Programmes County Preferred time Samburu Marsabit West Pokot 8-10pm 15.8% 42.6% 50.0% 7-9am 5.3% pm 40.4% 12.8% 7.4% 1-2pm 1.8% - 4.4% Relationship between Radio Listeners and Mobile Phone users Further analysis indicated that 59.1% of the smallholder farmers who indicated they got their agricultural information through radio also used mobile phones to acquire more information. This shows a correlation between radio users and mobile users. This may also indicate that those who indicated they use mobile phones use them to call radio stations for additional information after listening as well as calling extension officers for additional information after listening to programs on radio stations. Baseline Survey (2015) 28

29 3.5.3 Newspapers Newspapers are also a common mode of information dissemination especially in urban areas. However, newspapers are usually seen as an expensive and a channel that can only be used by the literate and those who can afford to buy a newspaper Access to Newspapers Results from the survey indicate that nine in every ten people in the three counties do not read a newspaper for agricultural information. This is echoed across the counties with Samburu County having the largest proportion (96.3%) of the smallholder farmers who do not read newspapers for agricultural information as shown in Table 16 below. Table 16: Use of Newspapers for Agricultural Information Reading newspapers for agri information Gender County Male Female Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Total Yes 18.9% 2.1% 3.7% 15.4% 12.8% 11.0% No 81.1% 97.9% 96.3% 84.6% 87.2% 89.0% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Across the genders, there is a significant difference between women and men who read newspapers for agricultural information with only 2.1% of the women indicating that they actually read newspapers. This then confirms that newspapers are not a popular mode of disseminating agricultural information in these counties. This can be attributed to the fact that they are expensive to buy on daily basis; you must be literate to read a newspaper; and the main newspapers are not in languages that the locals can easily understand Frequency of Reading Newspapers The frequency of reading newspapers is also very low in the three counties with only 24% of the respondents indicating that they read newspapers several times in a week as shown in Table 17 below. Table 17: Frequency of reading Newspapers for Agricultural Information Frequency of reading a newspaper Gender County Male Female Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Total Several times a week 31.6% % 21.4% 24.0% Rarely 68.4% 100.0% 100.0% 25.0% 78.6% 76.0% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Across the genders, all the women who were interviewed rarely read newspapers while across the counties, all the respondents in Samburu County rarely read newspapers for agricultural information. However, Marsabit County had 75% of the respondents indicating that they read newspapers for agricultural information at least several times in a week. Baseline Survey (2015) 29

30 Among the reasons that the respondents gave for not reading the newspapers were, inaccessibility of the newspapers, illiteracy and the lack of interest or motivation to read newspapers as indicated by the Figure 4 below. Inaccessiblity of newspapers 34.7% Illiterate 33.3% Lack of interest or motivation 16.7% Financial constraints/cannot afford a newspaper 11.1% Poor eyesight 2.8% Figure 4: Reasons for low readership of Newspapers Newspapers, and Information read Majority of the respondents who admitted to reading newspapers for agricultural information indicated that they usually read the Daily Nation, Taifa Leo and Daily Standard in that order. Most of these readers also indicated that they usually read agriculture seeds of gold column, market information, agribusiness information while others indicated that they usually interested in all the information and cross cutting issues in the newspapers Internet Internet is among the most modern ICT modes of information dissemination. However, there have been various challenges of ensuring all people can access information through this medium. The most common being poor internet connectivity in most areas of the country, illiteracy levels and the cost of internet access. Respondents were assessed on whether they accessed information through internet as well as the frequency of accessing information through internet Access to Internet Overall, internet access for information is low with only 15.9% of the respondents indicating that they used internet for accessing agricultural information. Across, the counties Marsabit County had the largest proportion of the respondents who use internet for agricultural information at 66.7%. Table 18: Access of Internet for Agricultural Information Gender County Male Female Samburu Marsabit West Pokot TOTAL Use of internet for Yes 19.4% 11.1% 18.2% 66.7% 5.7% 15.9% agric information No 80.6% 88.9% 81.8% 33.3% 94.3% 84.1% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Baseline Survey (2015) 30

31 Across the genders, men use internet for agricultural information more than women at 19.4%. Across the age groups, majority of those who use internet for agricultural information are those aged between years followed by those aged between years as shown by Figure 6 below. Figure 5: use of Internet for Agricultural Informatin across the age groups This can be attributed to the fact that use of internet is easy for the younger generation and it has also been made easier by the emergence of mobile internet Frequency of Surfing the Internet for Information Overall, eight in every ten respondents indicated that they rarely used internet to search for agricultural information as indicated in Table 19 below. Baseline Survey (2015) 31

32 Table 19: Frequency of Internet Use of Agricultural Information Frequency of Internet use for agri information Gender County Male Female Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Total Several times a week 29.4% 8.3% 12.5% 100.0% 10.0% 20.7% Rarely 70.6% 91.7% 87.5% 90.0% 79.3% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Across the genders, men (29.4%) used internet more than women (8.3%) to access agricultural information. However, across the counties, Marsabit County has more ICT Savvy farmers with all the respondents indicating that they used internet several times a week to search for agricultural information Cell Phone Mobile phones have become an important mode of information dissemination as well as service delivery across all service sectors. Due to their portability and many applications, information can be relayed and services delivered to the user conveniently and very fast. The smallholder farmers were also assessed on how well they access and use their cell phones to receive information on agriculture Access to Cell Phones Results indicate that overall, five in every ten respondents use mobile phones to access agricultural information either through making calls to extension officers or through using mobile internet. In terms of gender, men (58%) use mobile phones more than women (46.3%) to receive agricultural information. Table 20: Access and Use of Cell Phones for Agricultural Information Use of mobile phones for agric information Gender County Male Female Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Total Yes 58.0% 46.3% 9.5% 96.0% 48.9% 52.7% No 42.0% 53.7% 90.5% 4.0% 51.1% 47.3% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% However, there is a significant difference across the counties. The majority of the respondents in Samburu County (90.5%) indicated that they do not use mobile phones for receiving agricultural information same as 51.1% of the respondents in West Pokot. In Marsabit County however, 96% of the respondents indicated they were using their cell phones to acquire agricultural information. Baseline Survey (2015) 32

33 Frequency of Cell Phone use Due to the popularity and ease of owning a mobile phone nowadays, only six in every ten respondents indicated that they used mobile phones to get information but rarely. The rest were using mobile phones to get agricultural information more than once a week as indicated in Table 21 below. Table 21: Frequency of Using Cell Phones for Agricultural Information Access Frequency of mobile phone use for agri information Gender County Male Female Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Total Daily 14.3% 7.7% 19.2% 11.9% 11.4% Once a week 24.5% 10.3% 46.2% 9.5% 18.2% Several times a week 16.3% 5.2% 5.0% 15.4% 11.9% 10.2% Rarely 44.9% 76.9% 95.0% 19.2% 66.7% 59.1% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Across the genders, women (76.9%) rarely used mobile phones to get information, compared to men (55.1% total) who used mobile phones for information more than once a week. Across the counties, Samburu County had the largest proportion of respondents (95%) who rarely used mobile phones for getting agricultural information followed by West Pokot (66.7%). 3.6 Preference of the Sources of Agricultural Information The preference for sources of agricultural information was assessed by basing the preference to the ease of accessing information as well as the reasons for the preferred media. Overall, results indicate that radio and mobile phones are the most preferred mode of relaying agricultural information Media Preference Majority of the respondents indicated that they preferred radio and mobile phones to access agricultural information as shown in Table 21 below. Newspapers and Internet are the least preferred media which can be attributed to the cost, lack of knowledge and need for one to be literate. Table 22: Media Preference across the Counties County Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Total Radio 80.0% 44.4% 66.7% 62.1% Mobile phones 6.7% 46.7% 29.8% 30.3% TV 10.0% 4.4% - 3.8% Internet 3.3% 4.4% - 2.3% Newspapers % 1.5% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Baseline Survey (2015) 33

34 Across the counties, Samburu smallholder farmers would prefer radio, TV and mobile phones in that order; Marsabit county smallholder farmers would prefer radio, mobile phones and TV in that order; and those in West Pokot would prefer radio, mobile phones and newspapers in that order. An analysis of preference across the gender indicates that more women (65%) than men (59.7%) prefer radio. However, both genders prefer radio and mobile phones. No woman prefers internet or newspapers as sources of agricultural information. Male Female Total 70.0% 60.0% 65.0% 62.1% 59.7% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 30.6% 30.0% 30.3% 20.0% 10.0%.0% 5.0% 2.8% 3.8% 4.2% 2.3% 2.8% 1.5%.0%.0% Radio Mobile phones TV Internet Newspapers Figure 6: Preference of Media across the gender Interaction with farmers groups confirmed that most of them preferred radio and mobile phones because radio enabled them to give their feedback and get additional information through making calls and sharing their views on radio. Mobile phone on the other hand allowed them to use short text messaging and make calls to the extension officers to get vital information within a short time Reasons for Media Preference Respondents were also able to justify their preferred media. Overall, majority of the respondents (40.4%) based their preference on accessibility, convenience and availability while 22.2% based their choice on the cost of accessing the media as indicated by Table 23 below. Baseline Survey (2015) 34

35 Table 23: Reasons for choice of preferred media County Reasons for Preference Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Total Accessible, convenient and available 42.4% 34.0% 59.4% 45.7% Cheap 27.1% 20.8% 18.6% 22.2% Ease of understanding the language 15.3% 26.4% 10.2% 17.0% Offers detailed information 1.7% 13.2% 3.4% 5.8% Minimal or no maintenance costs 8.5% - 5.1% 4.7% Has practical demonstrations - 5.7% - 1.8% Has updated information % 1.2% Affordable source of power (batteries) 3.4% % Entertaining 1.7% - -.6% Only a few respondents based their choice on how entertaining the media was or how affordable or updated information from the media was. 3.7 Other Sources of Agricultural Information An analysis of the other recommended sources of agricultural information indicates that farmers groups, agricultural shows/demos and friends/relatives/neighbours are the top three other sources of information as indicated in Table 24 below. Discussions with farmers confirmed that they trust their neighbours and farmers because they are easily accessible when they need them as compared to extension officers who they meet only three times a year in organized forums. Table 24: Other Preferred Sources of Information Other Preferred Sources of Gender information County Male Female Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Total Farmers groups 19.5% 25.9% 51.7% 23.8% 17.7% 22.0% Agricultural shows/demos 21.4% 18.5% 6.9% 27.4% 19.4% 20.3% Friends/Neighbours/Spouse/other relatives 17.1% 14.8% 13.8% 21.4% 14.7% 16.2% Chief Barazas 15.7% 14.1% % 17.2% 15.1% Women group meetings 11.4% 17.8% 24.1% 9.5% 14.2% 13.9% Church meetings 9.0% 5.9% 3.4% 3.6% 9.9% 7.8% Political rallies 5.2% 3.0% % 4.3% Political rallies, church meetings were the least preferred additional sources of information. Discussions with extension officers confirmed that they also prefer farm demonstrations, farmer field school, chief s barazas and individual farm visits as the other modes of disseminating agricultural information to the farmers. However, most of these are least used due to the limitation in resources, vastness of the counties and few extension officers. To this end, they have utilized the farmer s group approach where they train and disseminate information to farmers organized in groups. Baseline Survey (2015) 35

36 3.8 Membership and Services from Groups or Cooperatives This was aimed at assessing the existing structures within the smallholder farmers. This was assessed by determining whether the respondents were members of any farmers group or cooperative and the services they received from being members. Table 25: Membership to Farmers Groups or Cooperatives Membership Gender County Male Female Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Total Yes 48.1% 65.2% 44.4% 70.4% 54.3% 56.0% No 51.9% 34.8% 55.6% 29.6% 45.7% 44.0% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Results indicate that 56% of the respondents were indeed members of a farmers group or farmers cooperative, 65.2% of these being women as compared to 48.1% of men. Across the counties, Samburu has the least number of smallholder farmers who are members of a group or cooperative at 44.4%. The respondents who were members of groups or cooperatives were requested to outline the services or benefits accrued from the membership. Trainings on crop production, merrygo round and table banking, demonstrations on seed selection and general farm management and planning services were the most notable benefits that members of the cooperatives or farmers groups got by being members as indicated in Table 26 below. Table 26: Benefits from being group or cooperative members Services Received from Groups or Cooperatives Percent (%) Crop production trainings e.g. coffee and green grams 14.4% Merry go round and table banking 14.4% Viable seeds demonstrations and utilization 11.3% Farm planning 10.3% Soil and water conservations 7.2% Green house technology 7.2% Business avenues and agricultural loans 7.2% Livestock production trainings e.g. poultry 6.2% Groups training and capacity building 4.1% Agrochemical usage 4.1% Nursery establishment and management 3.1% Post-harvest practices 3.1% Machinery services e.g. tractor 2.1% Water harvesting 2.1% Good food nutrition 1.0% Trainings on agro forestry 1.0% Agricultural tours and shows 1.0% Total 100.0% Baseline Survey (2015) 36

37 The groups have also acted as entry points for extension officers to disseminate information. When farmers are organized in a group, it becomes easy to train and capacitate them as compared to when they act individually. Also, this has enabled the extension officers to use word of mouth to disseminate vital information while also utilizing the contact farmer approach where one influential farmer is used to train and capacitate others in his group. 3.9 Agricultural extension services Agricultural extension services are a key component in improvement and growth of the agriculture sector in any economy. Kenya s Medium Term Plan I identified and implemented programmes in improvement of delivery of extension services as key programmes in improving the sector and enhancing its productivity. The Medium Term Plan II has also identified agricultural extension as a priority programme in this sector under the National Agricultural Sector Extension Programme (NASEP) which further emphasizes the importance of agriculture extension services to this sector. It has therefore necessitated the emergence of various approaches to agricultural extension, which has seen radio emerge as an important approach to provision of extension services. Use of radio for agricultural extension has been seen as an excellent, convenient and cost effective means of sharing knowledge, building awareness, facilitating informed decision making and supporting adoption of new practices especially by small-scale farmers. The survey sought to determine the level of access to extension services, the frequency of access, services received, adequacy, cost and the overall benefits of the extension services Access and frequency of Agricultural Extension Services The results indicate that seven in every ten smallholder farmers has access to extension services with Marsabit County having the largest proportion of farmers (92.6%) who access extension services followed by West Pokot (80.9%). Table 27: Access to Extension Services extension services Access Gender County Male Female Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Total Yes 76.4% 60.0% 23.1% 92.6% 80.9% 69.0% No 23.6% 40.0% 76.9% 7.4% 19.1% 31.0% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% However, of concern is the proportion of smallholder farmers (23.1%) in Samburu County who have access to extension services. Overall, majority of the smallholder farmers admitted to receiving extension services rarely with 31.3% receiving the services on monthly basis. Discussions with the farmers who received extension services from agricultural extension officers indicated that they trust and would prefer face-to-face interactions with the officers as they are professionals and give them individual attention. Table 28: Frequency of Accessing Extension Services County Total Baseline Survey (2015) 37

38 Frequency Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Weekly % 11.1% Monthly 8.0% 55.6% 29.8% 31.3% Rarely 52.0% 37.0% 31.9% 38.4% None 40.0% 7.4% 14.9% 19.2% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Across the counties, Marsabit County has the largest number of farmers who receive extension services monthly at 55.6% while West Pokot has the largest proportion who receive the services on weekly basis Categorization and Adequacy of Agricultural Extension Services The agricultural extension services are usually categorized based on the provider. Extension services from the agricultural extension officers are offered through the government and thus, are termed as public while those offered by private stakeholders are termed as private. An analysis of the categories of extension services indicates that 98.8% of the extension services received in the three counties are usually from public institutions. That is, they are provided by the government through the agricultural extension officers under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries as shown in the Figure 7 below Public Private Yes No Categories of Extension Services Adequacy of Extension Services Figure 7: Categorization and Adequacy of Received Extension Services However, majority of the smallholder farmers feel that the extension services are never adequate for their agricultural needs. The respondents based their response on adequacy or inadequacy on several reasons. Farmers who felt the services are not adequate indicate that irregular visits from the officers, fact that only few extension offices are available, few extension officers on the ground and lack of a clear means of information dissemination were the reasons why they felt the services were inadequate. Baseline Survey (2015) 38

39 On the other hand, the farmers who felt that the services were adequate indicated that the services had played a big role in ensuring continuous good supply in the counties Cost of Agricultural Extension Services The issue of who pays for development and delivery of extension services has been a common challenge in delivery of extension services. From the survey, all the respondents who were receiving extension services admitted that they were not paying for the services. This is attributed to the fact that almost all the available extension services in all the three counties are provided by public institutions, which are the agricultural extension officers through the Ministry and county governments. This therefore poses a challenge in delivery of agricultural programmes because resources are required to facilitate agricultural experts to come to the stations for live shows as well as cover the recording of farmer s interviews by the radio producers Other Sources of Agricultural Extension Services Generally, the sources of agricultural extension services are usually the government thought he agricultural extension officers, non-government organizations as well as private partners. The survey results indicate that 67% of the respondents were receiving extension services from agricultural extensions officers which was also echoed across the counties as shown in Figure 8 below % 90.0% 80.0% 70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0%.0% 92.6% 76.6% 67.0% 17.4% Marsabit West Pokot Samburu Total Figure 8: Proportion Receiving Visits from the Agricultural Extension Officers For the smallholder farmers who do not get visits from the agricultural officers, the most common alternative source of extension services are visiting the agricultural offices, using personal knowledge, attending agricultural trainings and also from sharing agricultural knowledge with other groups. Baseline Survey (2015) 39

40 Table 29: Other Alternative Sources of Extension Services Source of Alternative Extension Services Percent (%) Visiting their offices 56.7 Personal knowledge/information 20.0 Attending agricultural trainings 6.7 Communication via phone 6.7 From other groups 6.7 Through the radio 3.3 Total Notable is the use of radio to acquire knowledge on agriculture when agricultural extension officers are not accessible Role of Agro dealers in provision of Agricultural Extension Services Agro dealers are referred to as the retail sellers of agricultural inputs which include seeds, fertilizers, crop protection chemicals, farm equipment and machines, tertiary products and animal feeds among other farm inputs. The agro dealers play a major role in improving agricultural productivity even though this important role is often overlooked. The main role of agro dealers is to provide agricultural inputs to farmers; educate or provide information to farmers on proper use of agricultural inputs as well as seed and fertilizer selection; act as a source of micro credit through sale of agricultural inputs to farmers on credit or as crop loan; provision of information on product acceptance, pricing, quality, competition, market conditions, inputs demand and also giving marketing strategies to farmers. The agro dealers have grown steadily as alternative channels of disseminating agricultural information with the help of several stakeholders including the government. This has been through agro dealers strengthening programmes for example the Kenya Agro dealers Strengthening Program (KASP). Strengthening of agro-dealer networks has been a huge stride in Kenya towards improving agricultural productivity. The survey results indicate that the agrovets (shops selling agricultural inputs) are considered as important sources of information for smallholder farmers because they act as points of contact for farmers who require inputs. Therefore to enhance agricultural productivity which leads to rural economic growth, it is important to enhance the capacity of the agro dealers through: providing an enabling policy environment for operation; creation of partnerships with public and private institutions; and improvement of access to finance for agro dealers; development of a reliable market information system; establishment of a reliable quality control system among others. Results from the survey indicate that agro dealers in the three counties are very important to smallholder farmers as they offer advisory and information dissemination services to those who come for inputs as well as other farmers. Capacity building of agro dealers was continuous and is facilitated by NGOs and public and private institutions for example KEPHIS, Kenya Seed Company, and MoALF Officers among others Benefits of Agricultural Extension Services Agricultural extension services are expected to ensure growth in the sector and increased productivity. Results from the survey indicates that majority of the farmers who were Baseline Survey (2015) 40

41 receiving extension services had reported increased crop production while others felt that the services had helped them through giving them solutions to their queries. Other benefits included acquisition of valuable agricultural information and knowledge, practical skills on farming techniques as well as increased livestock production especially for the poultry farmers as shown in Table 30 below. Table 30: Benefits of Extension Services to Smallholder Farmers Benefits of Extension Services Percent (%) Overall increase of crop production 21.1% Solution of farmers queries 9.5% None 9.5% Provision of detailed agricultural information 7.4% Provision of practical farming techniques 7.4% Increased livestock production especially poultry 7.4% Provision of tractor services 6.3% Provision of certified seeds for planting 6.3% Enhanced livelihoods due to economic empowerment of farmers 5.3% Advice on soil and water conservation 4.2% Improved farm planning and management 3.2% Introduction of green-house farming 3.2% Advice on agrochemical usage in pest and disease control 2.1% Trainings have benefitted the farmers groups 2.1% Improved farm water harvesting 2.1% Trainings have benefitted the farmers groups 1.1% Improved vegetable management 1.1% Linkages between communities and the county government 1.1% Total 100.0% In general, discussions with farmers groups and extension officers was able to draw out the conclusion that extension services were essential for smallholder farmers as it helped then decide what and when to plant, how to prepare for planting, best farming practices that can be replicated, how to deal with pests and diseases, harvesting and post-harvest practices like packing and storage Challenges in Delivery of Agricultural Extension Services Analysis of discussions with farmers groups and extension officers as well as desk research gave an indication of the expected challenges in delivery of extension services. Given the vastness of the three counties, transport was a huge challenge as the officers lacked adequate resources and transport facilitation, accessibility of some areas due to terrain and long distances and access to new agricultural information. The fact that majority of the communities in these counties are pastoralists communities also poses as a challenge. This is because their attitudes have become rigid and thus are very difficult to convince to adopt alternative income generating activities especially crop Baseline Survey (2015) 41

42 production. This has seen them being very hard to convince to adopt modern farming methods and technologies. Generally, literacy levels which are very low among farmers in these counties, language barrier, funding for the radio and ICT based extension services (who pays for them) and conversion of the current information into digital form (for internet and mobile phone) are the most common challenges faced in delivery of radio and ICT extension services. The three counties have communities who speak in different dialects, thus delivery of radio programmes becomes a challenge when each one of them is targeted. Sources of continuous, reliable and timely information for broadcast content provides a challenge to the extension officers and radio station staff because currently, their agricultural content is sourced from the agriculture experts from the MoALF who are usually invited to the shows for interviews and discussions. Lack of adequate resources to sustain this approach also leads to irregular delivery of programmes. Baseline Survey (2015) 42

43 CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 4.1 Conclusions Agricultural information plays a crucial role in agricultural development as well as increasing productivity and hence improving the livelihoods of farmers. As a result fo the increased awareness of farmers on their needs, agricultural information has become very dynamic. Access to reliable, timely and relevant agricultural information has become significant in empowering farmers to make good decisions while also reducing their uncertainty. The study results indicate that a huge challenge in information dissemination lies in the fact that literacy levels are very low in the three counties with 33.9% having no education and 45.4% having primary education. In addition, majority (97.2%) of the smallholder farmers own the land privately with their main source of household incomes being both livestock and crop production. Husbands in most households in all the three counties make the decisions on land use and use of income from farming enterprises. The results also indicate that radio and cell phones are the most preferred media for disseminating agricultural information with majority of the smallholder farmers indicating that they use the two media almost daily in their quest to get agricultural information. The most listened to radio stations in the three counties include Serian, KBC, Radio Maisha, Sifa FM, Citizen Radio, Imani and Kalya FM which did their broadcast in Kiswahili, Samburu, Borana and Pokot dialects. Radio is most preferred due to its portability, no cost of accessing information, use of local dialect for broadcast suiting even the illiterate as well as the fact that it is reliable. The farmers were also able to confide that listening to the radio programmes on agriculture has assisted them acquire knowledge and skills which they have utilized especially in ensuring proper crop production measures, seed selection, new farming techniques, pests, weeds and disease control among others. The farmers recommended that their most preferred time for listening to agricultural programmes is: 8-10pm, 6-8pm, 7-9am and 1-2pm in order of preference. Among their preferred topics were improving livestock production especially dairy farming, weeds, pests and disease control, general farm management measures and dry land farming among other topics. Majority of the farmers are receiving extension services across the three counties from public sources which according to most recipients are not adequate due to the irregular visits, few offices and officers on the ground and other challenges including inadequate facilitation and inaccessibility of the most remote areas. Most of these services are free as they are mostly provided by the government through the agricultural extension officers which also means they are provided either rarely or on monthly basis. However, agro dealers have also emerged as important sources of agricultural information for farmers as they act as contact points for the farmers when they are purchasing farm inputs and also marketing their produce. Baseline Survey (2015) 43

44 The survey also established from the farmers their other preferred sources of agricultural information which included: farmers groups, agricultural shows/demos, through friends/relatives/neighbours and through chief s barazas among others. With over 56% of the farmers being members a farmer s group/cooperative, it was evident that the groups can be an entry point for the project as well as a platform for capacity building. 4.2 Recommendations Based on the survey findings and results, the following recommendations were noted: 1. Radio for agricultural extension should be demand-driven where the farmers are allowed to take lead in identifying issues and topics they would like addressed in the programmes based on their agricultural information needs; 2. For effective programming, the project will have to invest in an active feedback system for farmers to evaluate and recommend how the delivery of the radio broadcast will be improved; 3. In implementing the radio for extension interventions, it is important to ensure that women and other segments of the population are not disadvantage through ensuring that the radio content and broadcast timing is gender responsive; 4. It will be important to continuously enhance the capacity of men and women farmers, radio station staff, extension officers on the ground and other stakeholders through continuous capacity building to enhance effective programming and use of radio in extension and agricultural advisory services; 5. In as much as radio is the most preferred medium of agricultural information dissemination, it will be important for the project to consider integrating other forms of ICT like mobile phones for more interaction, feedback and impact; 6. Creation of networks, sourcing of sponsors and partners to support the programming and capacity building components of the project will be vital in ensuring there is enough resources for consistent, sustainably and timely delivery of agriculture extension services to farmers. Baseline Survey (2015) 44

45 ANNEXURE Annex 1: Recommended Issues/Topics for Future Radio Programmes Recommended issues/topics for radio County programmes Samburu Marsabit West Pokot Total Improving livestock production especially dairy farming 5.0% 6.3% 30.6% 15.4% Weeds, pest and disease control 16.3% 14.3% 14.2% 15.1% Farm management measures (spacing, early planting etc) 15.6% 17.5% 12.7% 14.8% Dry land farming 9.2% 6.3% 5.2% 7.1% General crop production 6.4% 7.9% 6.7% 6.8% Improving soil fertility 8.5% 6.3%.0% 4.7% Green house farming 5.0% 1.6% 4.5% 4.1% Meteorological/weather information 9.2%.0%.0% 3.8% Fertilizer selection and application 3.5% 6.3% 3.0% 3.8% Agri-business.7% 9.5% 3.7% 3.6% Measures to curb/control wildlife invasion 6.4%.0%.0% 2.7% Poultry farming 1.4%.0% 5.2% 2.7% Seed selection 2.1% 4.8% 2.2% 2.7% Modern technology in agriculture 4.3% 4.8%.0% 2.7% General farming information 1.4% 6.3%.7% 2.1% Dry land farming.7% 3.2%.7% 1.2% Market access information.0% 1.6% 2.2% 1.2% Bee keeping and honey production.7% 1.6%.7%.9% Fruit farming and management 1.4%.0%.7%.9% Tissu culture banana farming.0%.0% 2.2%.9% Post-harvest practices 1.4%.0%.0%.6% Environmental conservation.0%.0% 1.5%.6% Improved farm propagation methods.0% 1.6%.0%.3% Farm fencing methods.7%.0%.0%.3% Coffee production.0%.0%.7%.3% Fish farming.0%.0%.7%.3% Pasture establishment.0%.0%.7%.3% Food security.0%.0%.7%.3% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Baseline Survey (2015) 45

46 Annex 2: Household Questionnaire RADIO FOR AGRICULTURE IN NORTHERN KENYA BASELINE SURVEY AND AWARENESS CREATION Date of interview: County: Division: Sub-location: Name: (optional)_ District: Location: SECTION 1: DEMOGRAPHICS 1. Gender : (i) Male (ii) Female 2. Age (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) Above 53 years 3. Marital status i) Single ii) Married iii) Widowed 4. Size of household 5. Level of education (i) None (ii) Primary (v) Postgraduate (iii) Secondary (iv) Undergraduate 6. Location of residence: (i) Urban (ii) Peri-urban (iii) Rural 7. Monthly income in Kenya Shillings (i) Below 5,000 (ii) 5,000 15,000 (iii) 15,001 20,000 (iv) 20,001 25,000 (v) 25,001 30,000 (vi) 30,001 45,000 (vii) Over 45, Are you able to grow enough food for your household? (i) Yes (ii) No (iii) Not sure (iv) Don t know 9. What is the size of your land? (State acreage) 10. Indicate the type of farming you engage in (i) Livestock (ii) Crop production (iii) livestock and crop production SECTION 2: MEDIA USE PATTERNS AND INTENSITY How many days in a typical week do you do the following (Tick one): 11. Watch television: (i) Almost every day (ii) Several times a week (iii) Rarely (v) Never Baseline Survey (2015) 46

47 12. Listen to radio: (i) Almost every day (ii) Several times a week (iii) Rarely (v) Never 13. Read newspapers: (i) Almost every day (ii) Several times a week (iii) Rarely (v) Never 14. Surf the internet: (i) Almost every day (ii) Several times a week (iii) Rarely (v) Never 15. Use the cell phone: (i) Almost every day (ii) Several times a week (iii) Rarely (v) Never SECTION 3: LEVEL OF INTEREST IN SEEKING AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION 16. Do you watch television to get agricultural information? (i) Yes (ii) No (If No skip to question 21) 17. If yes, what programs do you usually watch and when are programs on air? (please record station names). 18. How often do you watch these programs on television to get agricultural information? (i) Every day (ii) Several times a week (iii) Rarely 19. Do you listen to radio to get agricultural information? (i) Yes (ii) No (If No skip to question 25) 20. If yes, what programs do you usually listen to and when are they on? (please record station names+ Other details like Favorite hosts) Title of prog Time of prog Radio station language Favorite host How often will you listen to these radio programs to get agricultural information? (i) Every day (ii) Several times a week (iii) Rarely 22. Do you read newspapers to get agricultural information? (i) Yes (ii) No (If No skip to question 29) 23. If yes, what papers do you usually read and is there a regular Column that you read? Name of newspaper Type of information Regular column read Name of columnist Baseline Survey (2015) 47

48 1. 2. read 24. How often will you read the paper to get agricultural information? (i) Almost every day (ii) Several times a week (iii) Rarely 25. What other literature do you read to get agricultural information (list) 26. Do you surf the internet to get agricultural information: (i) Yes (ii) No (If No skip to question 33) 27. If yes, what sites do you usually visit or topics do you usually search? Name of websites visited Topics sought 28. In a typical week how often will you search the internet to get agricultural information? (i) Every day (ii) Several times a week (iii) Rarely 29. Do you use the mobile phone to get agricultural information? (i) Yes (ii) No 30. If yes, what sources do you usually use to obtain agricultural information with a mobile phone? 31. In a typical week how often will you use a mobile phone to get agricultural information? (i) Every day (ii) Several times a week (iii) Rarely 36. If almost every day, approximately how many times per day? 37. Which is your preferred media for obtaining information on agriculture? (Tick one) (i) Radio (ii) Television (iii) Newspapers (iv) Internet (v) Mobile phones 38. Why is it your preferred media for obtaining information on agriculture? 39. Apart from the media mentioned above, what are your other sources of getting information on agricultural issues? (Mark in order of preference eg: 1, 2, 3, 4) Agricultural shows/demonstrations Farmers Groups Baseline Survey (2015) 48

49 Chiefs barazas Church meetings Women group meetings Friends/Neighbors/Spouse/Other relatives Political rallies Other specify 40. Do you belong to a farmer group or cooperative? i) Yes ii) No 41. If yes list all services you get e.g microcredit, extension information etc. SECTION 4: ACCESS TO AGRICULTURE EXTENSION SERVICES 42. Do you access agriculture extension services? i) Yes ii) No 43. How often do you get access an agriculture extension officer for advice? (i) Weekly (ii) Monthly (iii) Rarely 44. What extension services do you get from the agriculture extension office?. 45. How have the extension services assisted you?. 46. Are the extension services adequate? Baseline Survey (2015) 49

50 Annex 3: Focus Group Guide: Farmers FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR FARMERS 1. What is your source of information on agriculture or livestock needs? 2. Which of these sources do you trust most? 3. What assistance do you get from the ministry of agriculture/livestock? 4. How do you access that assistance does the agriculture extension officer visit or you go to them? 5. How often do you get the assistance? 6. How far is the agriculture officer from you? 7. Do you get information from media channels? Which ones? 8. What information do you look for from the radio? 9. Why do you prefer the radio? 10. Which radio stations do you listen to for agriculture programmes? 11. What agriculture programmes do they broadcast? 12. How useful is the information you receive from the radio programmes? 13. What topics do you want aired on the programmes? 14. Do you call the stations for more information, what was the response like? What time would you like to have agriculture programmes aired? Baseline Survey (2015) 50

51 Annex 4: Focus Group Guide: Extension Officers and Radio Staff FGD QUESTIONNAIRE FOR EXTENSION OFFICERS 1. How many farmers are covered in one county by the extension services 2. How many farmers per ward? 3. How many farmers would each extension officer cover per ward? 4. What are the methods of reaching the farmers with extension information? 5. What are the extension services offered to farmers? 6. What challenges do extension officers face in offering extension services? 7. How can these challenges be overcome? 8. What collaborative arrangements can be put in place to help use radio (media) for agriculture extension? GUIDE FOR RADIO PERSONNEL 1. How much time is allocated to agriculture programmes in your station? 2. What specific programmes do you have on agriculture? 3. What time are they aired? 4. What issues are broadcast in the agriculture programmes? 5. How easy is it to access content on agriculture issues? 6. Do you have agriculture programmes that are sponsored? 7. How do you respond (deal) to questions raised by the audience on agriculture issues? 8. How do you gauge the impact of the agriculture programmes you broadcast? 9. What are the challenges in producing programmes on agriculture? 10. Recommendations in improving coverage of agriculture issues? Baseline Survey (2015) 51

52 Annex 5: Focus Groups 1. Totum Women Group, West Pokot County 2. Finn Horacha Self Help Group, Marsait County 3. Lopartuk Farmers Group, Samburu County 4. Serian FM Station Personnel, Samburu County 5. Agricultural Extension officers, Samburu County 6. Agricultural Extension officers, West Pokot 7. Agricultural Extension officers, Marsabit County Baseline Survey (2015) 52

53 Annex 6: Pictorial Presentation of the Baseline Survey Photo 3: Interview with farmer in Samburu County Photo 4: Radio interview with farmer in Samburu County Photo 5: KiMI Executive Director, Pamela Mburia with some members of Totum women group in West Pkot Photo 6: Cover photo: An interview with a farmer in West Pokot County Photo 7: KiMI team with the Serian FM Radio staff from Samburu county Photo 8: Finn Horacha Self Help Group members Marsabit County in Baseline Survey (2015) 53