Abstract:
Land fragmentation is a major problem in most parts of the world as it restricts agricultural development, reduces productivity and opportunities for rural development. Kisii County shows a clear case of land fragmentation due to high population pressure and poverty. This study was conducted with the aim of examining the effect of land fragmentation on agricultural productivity by examining the technical efficiency of households in the area. The specific objectives were to determine factors that influence land fragmentation, to determine the level of technical efficiency in fragmented lands, and to determine the effects of land fragmentation on household income in Kisii County. The study area was purposively selected (Kisii County) with a representative sample of 196 drawn randomly. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires. The analysis used a Cobb-Douglas production (Stochastic Frontier) function, Tobit model and 3 Stage least squares method. Land fragmentation was found to have negative effect on agricultural productivity, but it may also provide benefits for farm households. On factors that influenced land fragmentation, age of the household head, education level of the household head, number of males and females, generations through land has been transferred, amount of output (maize), tillage method, land size, household income, and membership to a group and access to extension services were found to be significant at different levels. The technical efficiency was found to be 36.82 with more than half of the households falling below 50%. The quantity of planting fertilizer used, certified seeds and fragmentation index were found to influence the level of technical efficiency. On the third objective, crop diversity, labour days, fertilizer use and non-farm income were found to be significant in influencing household farm income. On the other hand, land area, fertilizer use and fragmentation index were significant in influencing the farm’s crop diversity. To reduce effects of land fragmentation, appropriate steps like creating awareness on its effects, passing legislature on the contiguous and acceptable land size and promote successful land consolidation in the regions where land fragmentation is an issue, and where an increase in agricultural production capacity is needed.
