Browsing by Author "Makokha, S."
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Item Agro-Pastoralists’ Awareness and Knowledge on Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia in Two Selected Counties in Kenya(Taylor & Francis Online, 2022-11-01) Ouya, F.O.; Bett, E.; Nguhiu, P.; Makokha, S.; Mwirigi, M.K.; Kenyatta University ; International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology ; Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research OrganizationPoor identification of Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia diseases from its signs and symptoms is a major problem to goat farmers which leads to use of wrong method of disease control. The uptake of control strategies like vaccination by farmers depends on many factors while awareness and knowledge become the foundation of the technology adoption processes. This therefore necessitated a study to understand the level of awareness and knowledge of Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia, which is a highly infectious goat disease. The study analysed and used cross-sectional data collected from 342 households interviewed in October, November, and December 2020 in Kajiado County and Taita Taveta County in Kenya. These two counties are dominated by agro pastoralists and goat keeping is predominant. The study examines the factors influencing the agro pastoralists’ knowledge and level of awareness on the six major signs and symptoms of Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia disease differentiating it from other goat diseases. Multivariate probit model was the main data analysis method used. Results show that agro pastoralists’ level of knowledge and awareness on Contagious Caprine Pleuropnemonia disease depend significantly on other factors such as the gender of household head, age, education level, household size, access to extension services, and group dynamics. The findings imply that policymakers and agricultural development partners should increase public and private investment on agro pastoralists’ training and education programmes which is one of the main pathways for increasing public awareness in livestock dominated areas.Item Analysis of the Cassava Value Chain in Reference to Smallholder Farmers in Busia County, Kenya(Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology, 2023-03-08) Emongor, E.A.; Makokha, S.; Matere, S.; Nzuve, F.M.; Githunguri, C.; Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization - Food Crops Research Institute & Biotechnology Research Institute ; University of NairobiA survey was undertaken in Busia County, Kenya to obtain data for the situational analysis of the cassava value chain. Two hundred and forty-five households were sampled and interviewed in the months of August and September 2021 in Teso South Sub-County, Busia County. Descriptive statistics methods were used to analyse data using Statistical Product Service Solutions (IBM SPSS) version 20 Software. The results showed that the average land size in the study area was 2.7 acres. The mean land allocated to cassava was 0.25 acres. Those interviewed grew cassava mainly for subsistence while the surplus is marketed. Results also showed farmers preferred to grow local varieties (68.4%), improved varieties (21.6%) and a combination of improved and local varieties (10%). The adoption of improved cassava varieties in the study sites was still low. Most of the farmers obtained their income from on-farm sources (71.8%). The major source of information was the farmer-to-farmer extension approach with approximately 66% of respondents obtaining information from other farmers. The farmers like growing local varieties as they have traits that make them preferred to the farmers. The adoption of the improved varieties was still low. More needs to be done on both production; processing and marketing if cassava is to contribute to the food security and income of the households in Busia County.Item Determinants of Agro-Pastoralists’ Willingness to Pay for Improved Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia Vaccine in Kenya(Springer Open, 2023-12) Ouya, F.O.; Bett, E.; Nguhiu, P.; Makokha, S.; Lutta, H.; Abwao, W.A.; Mwirigi, M.; Kenyatta University ; International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (Icipe) ; KALRO - Biotechnology Research InstituteAnimal health care is critical for livestock production especially in arid and semi-arid areas where majority are agro-pastoralists. Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a highly contagious and fatal disease which commonly affects goats in arid and semi-arid areas. The government has been the major provider of CCPP vaccine and few large-scale farmers who are licensed and able to purchase directly from the vaccine producer. Although the vaccine is sold to farmers at a subsidized price by the government, its distribution has been characterized by scarcity, irregular and late administration by the authority concerned. It is envisioned that if the willingness to pay for the CCPP vaccine among the agro-pastoralists was high, the sustainability for the vaccine availability and accessibility to everyone will be assured. This study was conducted in Kajiado and Taita Taveta counties where 323 households were sampled; thus, 276 households who were aware of the CCPP were considered for the analysis. Double-bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation model was used to elicit agro-pastoralists’ willingness to pay for the improved CCPP vaccine with new attributes. The model revealed that off-farm income, membership to a group, previous experience on CCPP attack on goats and access to extension services positively influenced households’ willingness to pay for the improved CCPP vaccine. The results implied that provision of extension services by the government through promotion of public awareness on CCPP and on the benefit of vaccination will motivate farmers to willingly pay for vaccination services. This can be done through enhanced trainings, seminars and demonstrations to the village level, encouraging formation of groups which facilitates information sharing between agro-pastoralists as awareness and knowledge can drive the demand for the improved CCPP vaccine.Item KALRO - Biotechnology Research Institute (BioRI) Annual Report 2022-2023(Biotechnology Research Institute, KALRO, 2023) Mireji, P.; Wanjala, K.; Makokha, S.; Lutta, H.; Auma, J.; Wamwiri, F.; Kuria, P.; Kariithi, H.; Okeyo, W.; Mwirigi, M.; KALRO - Biotechnology Research Institute (BioRI)To generate and promote animal, plant, and environmental biotechnology knowledge, infor-mation, and technologies that respond to clients’ demands and opportunities. This report underscores the significant progress made by our institute over the past year in ad-dressing critical challenges within the agricultural and livestock sectors in Kenya. Through a combination of innovative research initiatives and collaborative partnerships, we have success-fully developed cutting-edge biotechnological tools and solutions that contribute to enhancing productivity, resilience, and sustainability in agriculture. Our research endeavors have spanned a wide array of focus areas, including the development of disease-resistant crops, exploration of nutritional alternatives for livestock, implementation of technologies to boost crop production, the conduct of socioeconomic studies informing agricul-tural technology adoption, assurance of livestock product safety, advancement of disease vector control technologies, vaccine development, and the execution of impactful community outreach programs such as youth mentorship initiatives. These achievements underscore our unwavering commitment to leveraging the potential of biotechnology to benefit Kenyan farmers and the ag-ricultural sector as a whole.
