Abstract: Food security exists when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. It entails food availability, accessibility, utilization and stability of production systems. Worldwide, food situation is such that 75% of the people lack adequate food while 47% in Kenya and 67% in Bungoma County lack sufficient food. Bungoma County has applied various agricultural extension approaches towards poverty reduction but to little avail. Consequently, the county has an average poverty index of 3.79 %, making it necessary to look for an alternative approach. The new approach should emphasize strategies that develop agricultural innovation systems, pluralism of service providers, demand-driven and innovative public-private partnerships that would enhance land productivity and increased incomes. The overall objective of this research was to establish if adopting value chain approach would enhance maize production, marketing and consumption thus enhancing poverty reduction in Bungoma County. Specifically, it established the level of poverty in the county. The study employed cross-sectional survey, descriptive and evaluation research designs. Purposive, stratified and simple random sampling strategies were used to give a study sample size of 348 from the maize value chain smallholders. Data collection instruments included archive analysis, questionnaires, focus group discussion guides, key informant interviews and observation check list. The questionnaires were pilot tested on 100 maize value chain actors in Kanduyi Sub County. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis by Chi-Square analysis, linear regression and correlation, were used to analyse and interpret the results. The research revealed that maize value chain development was at 39% and that poverty level in the community was at 54%. The study recommended that the county should enhance development of partnerships amongst maize value chain stakeholders and development of the maize value chain for sustainable poverty reduction. Finally, the study provided additional knowledge on value chain and agribusiness development as well as groundwork knowledge for further research.
Keywords: Maize Value Chain, Poverty, Stakeholders, Partnerships.
Title: Maize Value Chain Development for Poverty Reduction in Bungoma County, Kenya
Author: Caroline Netia A. Kamau, Samuel S. China, Humphrey Wanjala Nyongesa
International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovations
ISSN 2348-1218 (print), ISSN 2348-1226 (online)
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