Browsing by Author "Macharia, I."
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Item Challenges and Opportunities in Improved Indigenous Chicken Production in Kenya(East African Agricultural and Forestry Journal, 2024-06) Wambua, S.; Macharia, I.; Mwenjeri, G.; Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization ; Kenyatta UniversityThe poultry sub-sector is vital in improving livelihoods for vulnerable members of the society in rural areas in Kenya. It is a source of cheap animal protein and income especially for youth and women. It is one of the enterprises which require low capital and land to establish. This study looked at the challenges and opportunities in production of improved indigenous chicken which perform better than the local indigenous ones due to early maturity early laying more eggs. Results indicate that chicken were mainly reared and managed by women (84%). The average age of the farmers was 51 years who had attained upper primary education level. A majority (59%) of the respondents indicated that they belonged to different group categories which aided them to access training, credit, production and marketing information, markets and inputs. The costs of feeds were cited by majority of farmers as the most pressing constraint in chicken production with some indicating that they had either scaled down or completely abandoned the enterprise especially in the last one year. Some opportunities identified in this value chain were incubation, vaccination and feed formulation services. Policy makers need to address the issue of production including feed ingredients like maize, soya bean and fish meal.Item Economic Impact of DroughtTego Hybrid Maize in Kenya(Journal of Development and Agricultural Economics, 2021-07-31) Kyalo, D.W.; Macharia, I.; Marechera, G.; Muinga, G.; Mugo, S.; Rotich, R.; Oniango, R.; Karanja, J.; African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) ; Kenyatta University ; Rural Outreach Program (ROP) ; Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO)This paper utilizes the Economic Surplus Model (ESM) to provide an ex-post evaluation of the economic impact of drought tolerant hybrid maize technology in Kenya. Results indicate that the adoption of DroughtTEGO ® varieties will generate economic benefit to producers with a net present value of US$ 2.1 billion over a 20-year period. These benefits are sustainable when adoption levels remain above 32% and yield advantage at least 21% over the commercial hybrids. These results present a compelling reason for investing in development, deployment and upscaling of the technology to mitigate the effects of drought among maize producers in Africa.
