Abstract:
he mango is the third most important fruit in Kenya after banana and pineapples for food and cash. Murang’a South Sub- County is endowed with a flourishing mango growing as major cash earner. However, mango production is constrained by pest problems especially the mango fruit fly. Although technologies are available to effectively control the mango fruit fly, farmers continue to incur heavy losses. This brings questions as to whether farmers in the Sub- County actually access and use information available on mango fruit fly control. Small-scale farmers lose significant portions of their harvests to pests and diseases due to lack of effective control measures. Consequently, they lose out on the benefits of the many possible existing technologies that could increase their production and improve farm incomes. This study therefore sought to determine the extent of access and use of information on “mango fruit fly” control and the factors influencing the access and use portfolios by small-scale farmers. The target population consisted of all the 834 small-scale mango farmers who own l0 to 300 mature mango trees in the main mango growing area of the district. The study used cross-sectional survey design with ex- post- facto approach. A sample of 131 farmers was taken using simple random sampling from the target population. Data were collected between October and December ZOl l using structured questionnaires. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) program was used for managing and analyzing the data. Significance of empirical findings was tested and inferences interpreted at (X. =0.05. The study found out that the majority (9l.l %) of farmers in the district actually accessed information on mango fruit fly control mainly from government extension services, particularly, the Ministry of Agriculture, private chemical companies and non- governmental organizations. However, the information accessed was not sufficient in controlling the pest even though 93.5 % of the farmers used the information they accessed. Group membership influenced both access to and use of information. Household size and education level influenced use of information. The study recommends further research to be conducted to establish how information on mango fruit fly control delivered by extension service providers is packaged. The study further recommends that farmers in the district should be educated on the importance of media and the internet as sources of technical information.
