SMEs play an important role in the economic development of Mozambique. Access to finance is important for the growth of SMEs. Thus, the purpose of the study was to establish the factors that ...influence access to finance by SMEs. The factors that were addressed included structure of financial sector, awareness of funding opportunities, collateral requirements, and small business support services. The target population was 2725 which comprised of 2075 staff of three Banks, namely BIM Bank, BCI Bank, and Standard Bank and 650 SMEs in Maputo Central Business District. The research focused on a sample size of 242 SMEs and 324 staff of the named Banks. Descriptive and inferential research design was used. Structured questionnaires were used to collect the primary data. The findings from the study were that there is a relationship between the structure of the financial sector and access to finance by SMEs; there is a relationship between awareness of funding and access to finance by SMEs; there is a relationship between collateral requirements and access to finance by SMEs; and there is a relationship between small business support and access to finance by SMEs. The study findings are significant since they would enable the government to come up with appropriate regulation, funding programs, and schemes toward improvement of access to finance by SMEs. This study concludes that small business support services should be provided to SMEs to improve access to finance and that there is a need for more funding programs and financial schemes to assist SMEs. It is further concluded that since information is concerned with funding opportunities by SMEs, then relevant information should be available and known to all players in the financial market.
There is need for Kenyan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular to focus concern on the orientation of business strategy toward global market strategy, market research geared at obtaining ...foreign market intelligence, innovation and technology, product adaptation, service orientation, collaborative ventures, and long-range vision as critical factors in making them successful in the international market. They also need to interact effectively with other firms in more or less tightly connected networks of shared production and innovation if they are to succeed in the current wave of globalization. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of global market strategy on the global expansion of Kenyan firms. The research study used descriptive and inferential design as a chosen design. The researcher used multiple/multivariate regression analysis to determine the functional relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The global market strategy variables considered include the following: market strategy incorporating: global advertising and promotion, external advisory services, foreign market specialization, competitive pricing strategies, and focus on quality products/services; foreign market intelligence on locating markets, trade restrictions, competition overseas, and market and investment opportunities; and logistics and distribution incorporating: handling of documentation, distribution coordination, warehousing, arranging transportation, and collaboration with large firms. A random sample of 205 firms was drawn out of 440 members of Kenya Association of Manufacturers, based in Nairobi, from the Kenya Association of Manufacturers and Exporters Directory of 2012. The senior management of selected firms was surveyed and 175 firms responded making a response rate of 85 percent. The key finding from the research is that there is a functional relationship between global market strategy and global expansion of SMEs. The implication for practice and policy is that there is a need for collaboration between industry and government in pursuing policies for global expansion and among SMEs and large enterprises particularly in developing capacity and collaboration in global marketing strategy, market intelligence gathering, export promotion and strengthening of foreign trade missions. An early-warning system to alert firms of changes that may lead to potential failure in their global business activities can be developed.
Development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is adversely affected by climate variability and change due to the dependence of its economies and livelihoods primarily on rain-fed agriculture. ...Agro-advisories boost informed decision-making as well as planning of farm activities. The purpose of this study was to characterize the pathways through which farmers receive usable location-specific agro-advisories as well as to evaluate the effect of the socio-economic environment in the access to such information. Data was collected from 400 randomly selected households in lower eastern Kenya in a cross-sectional survey. Multivariate probit regression was used to determine the factors influencing the choice of pathways used in accessing climate change adaptation information. Household socio-economic characteristics that were found to be significant in explaining access to disseminated agro-advisories include phone and radio ownership, level of education, marital status, and farm size among others. Based on these findings a conclusion is made that the socio-economic environment within which information is disseminated is vital in determining those who access information and probably act on it. Additionally, pathways found to be complementary or substitutable give information providers new insights on the channels to use in information dissemination. The study recommends that these factors be considered in efforts geared towards promoting agro-advisory preparation and dissemination to improve adaptation to climate variability and change in dryland areas.
The study examined the factors that drive decisions to adopt and use irrigation technologies among smallholder farmers in Machakos County, Kenya. Data were collected from a sample of 300 smallholder ...farmers. Cross-sectional survey design, a multistage sampling procedure and random sampling method were employed. Percentages, means and econometric analysis were used in data analysis. Results showed that, 31.7% of the respondents practiced irrigation. Sex of household head, education, farm size, off-farm income, credit accessed and access to extension services positively influenced adoption of irrigation technologies. Adoption intensity was positively influenced by gender, off-farm income, farming experience, primary occupation and extension services. As a result, it is suggested that while formulating development strategies and programs for smallholder farmers, agricultural extension organizations should give priority to these factors.
The study examined the adoption determinants of adapted climate smart agriculture (CSA) technologies among smallholder farmers. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select a total sample of ...384 households. Percentages and regression were employed in data analysis. The results revealed that 47.4% adapted to climate change using integrated farming system, intercropping, crop rotation and agroforestry. Sex (0.9%), education level (9.2%) significantly influenced adoption of the adaptation strategies. Moreover, information sources such as mobile phones (0.9%), and neighbors/friends (0.2%) negatively affected the adaptation strategies. Future policy should aim at creating more awareness through different information sources and provide local extension services.
Keywords: Adaptation, smallholder farmers
Purpose>The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of on-farm testing on the adoption of banana production technologies among smallholder farmers in the Meru region, ...Kenya.Design/methodology/approach>The study adopted a pragmatic paradigm and a cross-sectional survey design, sampling 370 and 30 farmers proportionately from 269,499 to 19,303 smallholder banana farmers in Meru and Tharaka-Nithi Counties of Kenya, respectively.Findings>The study revealed that there was an association between belonging to a banana farming testing group and the adoption of banana technology. The study also revealed that most farmers were not interested in adopting banana technologies as they preferred the use of conventional methods, due to unstable market prices, lack of subsidized banana production input, inaccessibility to technological materials, few extension experts and lack of enough demonstrations.Research limitations/implications>Some respondents were not willing to freely offer the information required for this study. This was delimited by assuring the informants of the confidentiality of their responses.Originality/value>The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. The agricultural extension service providers will have more light on the underlying issues that need to be considered if meaningful interventions are to be done on various aspects of the banana value chain.
Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is an important indigenous multi-purpose crop grown in arid and semiarid areas of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The cowpea has nutritional and economic value, especially for ...smallholder farmers in dry lands. However, poor farming practices have declined cowpea productivity over the years. Low soil nutrient replenishment exacerbates the situation, leading to low soil fertility. Uptake of regenerative agriculture (RA) technologies is critical to building more resilient ecosystems that improve soil fertility and agricultural productivity while mitigating climate change effects. This study was carried out to evaluate the impact of the uptake of RA technologies on the productivity of cowpea in the dry lands of Embu County, Kenya. A survey involving 400 farming households was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and a stochastic log-linearized Cobb-Douglas production function were used for the data analysis. The study results showed that RA technologies commonly used by farming households were: cereal-legume intercrop, mulching, minimum tillage, crop rotations, pasture cropping, organic agriculture, and compost manure. The findings also revealed that inputs, farm size, labour cost, and used manure amount positively influenced cowpea productivity. The results also showed that cereal-legume intercrop, crop rotations, pasture cropping, and organic agriculture significantly influenced cowpea productivity, while minimum tillage showed a negative relationship. Therefore, the current study's results recommend that the uptake of RA technologies should be scaled to scale up cowpea productivity in dry lands. The study contributes to determining appropriate technologies for cowpea production in arid and semiarid areas. These results will help the government, policymakers, and other inventors to make the right decisions while disseminating or introducing innovations in dry areas.
Degraded landscapes and soil water stress are long-standing problems to smallholder agriculture in the drylands. Despite the important roles of zai technology in restoring degraded landscapes and ...improving agricultural productivity, the technology is yet to be adopted to its fullest extent. This can be attributed to gender-linked disparities in agricultural technology utilization. The study, therefore, sought to determine gender-specific determinants of zai technology choice and use-intensity. A multistage sampling technique was employed in randomly selecting 133 female-headed households and 267 male-headed households in Tharaka South sub-county. Quantitative data were collected in a cross-sectional survey using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Using sex-disaggregated data, Chi-square and t-test statistic were employed to test the statistical significance of dummy and mean value of continuous variables, respectively. Gender specific determinants of zai technology choice and use-intensity were determined using the Heckman-two-step econometric model. The results revealed that, more women farmers (44%) were using zai technology as compared to men (38%). Among women farmers, total cultivated land, access to animal-drawn farm implements, and group membership had an influence on zai technology choice. For men, total cultivated land, group membership and access to extension services positively influenced choice of zai technology. With regard to zai technology use-intensity, total land cultivated, livestock densities, group membership and frequency of trainings on soil and water management were important determinants among women farmers. For men, zai technology use-intensity was determined by total cultivated land and farmers’ perceptions on soil erosion. We recommend that, gender-sensitive farm-level policies oriented towards farmer socioeconomic profiles are important deliberations towards choice and intense application of soil and water conservation strategies such as the zai technology.
Male-headed households, Female-headed households, Choice, Heckman-two-step selection model.
Integrated soil fertility and soil water conservation technologies are possible solutions to the low per capita food production in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Nonetheless, the rate of adoption of these ...technologies by smallholder farmers has stagnated over the years despite being recommended. This has been attributed to the existence of wide communication gaps among researchers, extension agents, and farmers. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the influence of communication factors on the adoption of the selected technologies among smallholder farmers in the drylands of Tharaka-Nithi County. We used a cross-sectional survey design and collected data using an interview schedule from 400 randomly selected farming households. Binary logistic regression was employed for data analysis. Results showed that accessibility of extension agents after introducing the technology significantly influenced the adoption of combined organic and inorganic fertilizers (p = 0.056), mulch (p = 0.051), and Zai pit (p = 0.058). Similarly, practical orientation significantly influenced the adoption of combined organic and inorganic fertilizers (p = 0.001), mulch (p = 0.010), and Zai pit (p = 0.003). Information repetition significantly influenced the adoption of combined organic and inorganic fertilizers, mulch, and Zai pit at p-value 0.003, 0.001, and 0.001, respectively. Training was essential for mulch and Zai pit technologies at (p = 0.030) and (p = 0.001) respectively, while farmer group membership significantly influenced adoption for combined organic and inorganic fertilizers (p = 0.045) and Zai pit (p = 0.057) technologies. Extension agents should increase their interactions with farmers after the introduction of technologies. Equally use of demonstrations should be encouraged during the dissemination of these technologies among the farmers as they enhance the chances of adoption of the technologies.
Communication factors, Adoption, Integrated soil fertility management, Soil water conservation technologies.
The study investigated the socioeconomic and institutional factors influencing uptake of multiple climate change adaptation practices among smallholder farmers in lower Eastern Kenya. Multistage ...sampling procedure was used to select 384 small-scale farmers. Percentage and regression were used in the analysis. Among the socio-economic factors, gender positively and significantly influenced adoption of conservation agriculture and water harvesting at 5%, respectively. Among the institutional factors, distance to markets positively or negatively influenced uptake of all the technologies at 1% and 5%, respectively. Due to complementarity in adoption of all the seven adaptation practices, age and distance to nearest markets should be considered during technology dissemination. The study, therefore, calls for agricultural policy reforms that aim at designing incentive programmes which adequately address most of the socioeconomic and institutional issues related to uptake of adaptation practices as well as encouraging off-farm diversification.
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