Participation of Small-Scale Farmers in Collective Marketing of Potato in Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

Summary : Potato (Solanum tuberosum L) is the second major staple food crop in Kenya after maize. Its production involves more than 790 000 small-scale farmers producing 2.9 million metric tonnes about 158,000 hectares. Potato has potential for reducing food insecurity, unemployment and low farm incomes due to its high productivity per unit area. The crop’s yield per unit area is currently declining at a rate of 11% annually mainly due to poor quality seed. Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) launched a Seed Potato Value Chain (SPVC) Community Action Research Project (CARP+) at Egerton University in 2017 with an aim to enhance its production thereby improving food security. The project also aims to improve income of small scale farmers through the use of good quality seeds. This article mainly focusses on the participation of small-scale farmers in the collective marketing of potato in Nakuru County, Kenya. It uses baseline survey conducted as part of the CARP+ project. Nakuru county is one of the major potato growing areas hence its selection as the study area. A cross- sectional survey research design was used. A total of 175 respondents were selected randomly from four wards and interviewed using structured questionnaires. Data was subjected to descriptive statistical analysis using Statistical Social Package for Scientists (SPSS) version 20. The results showed that 74% of respondents belonged to different groups. Results further show that 88.4% of the groups are officially known as they are registered. The main purposes of the groups included: farming, merry go round (saving group), marketing, table banking and social welfare. More than half of respondents participated in groups for the purpose of farming while the least percentage, 4.7, participated in collective marketing. The study findings wil help in promoting understanding on the participation of small-scale farmers’ in collective marketing and consequently, provide information that can be used to advocate for increased participation of small-scale farmers in collective marketing.