Socio-Economic Factors and Utilization of Formal Financial Services among smallholder Farmers in Kenya.

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-188
Author(s):  
Joseph Masinde Wabwire

The main aim of this research was to establish the effect of socio-economic factors on utilization of formal financial services among smallholder farmers in Kenya. Farmers in low-income counties encounter a number of challenges among them limited access to finance. Financing agriculture, therefore, becomes a critical service to enable the full realization of the sector’s potential. In Kenya, the advent of  innovative banking models through commercial banks such as Equity bank have seen a higher proportion of the rural population who were previously unreached being reached by financial services. That said, the subscription to formal financial services by small holder farmers is still low and many of them either shy away from formal financial institutions or are simply ineligible for the services due to lack of a banking profile with the institutions. Cross-sectional survey research design was adopted. The target population for this study were smallholder farmers from Nakuru, Busia and Kirinyaga Counties in Kenya. The study sample was determined using simple random sampling. The sample size was 560 smallholder farmers. The questionnaire and secondary information were the key instruments for data collection. Quantitative data was analysed using multiple linear regression equations with the aid of SPSS software. The study established that the socio-economic factors significantly affected utilization of formal financial services by the smallholder farmers in the country. Policy Makers should therefore, encourage small holder farmers by way of incentives to disclose their annual income so as to improve their chances of accessing formal financial services that can expand their enterprises.

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (s1) ◽  
pp. 237-246
Author(s):  
J. Mugonya ◽  
S.W. Kalule ◽  
E.K. Ndyomugyenyi

In many sub-Saharan countries, pig (Susscrofa domesticus) production is increasingly an important food security and income generating activity for smallholder farmers. This is attributed to the high prospects for vigilance of the pork market, driven by urbanisation, population growth and dietary transition towards more animal protein per capita. Therefore, increasing pig production is one of the viable pathways to get smallholder farmers out of poverty and food insecurity. Although there are extensive studies about the elements of pig production, such as feeding, breeding and space requirements; little work has been done on distribution of innovation behaviour and the socio-economic factors that influence labour utilisation in the region. The objective of this study was to determine the socio-economic factors that influence labour (family or hired) utilisation and distribution of innovation behaviour among pig farmers in Northern Uganda. Through a cross sectional survey and descriptive analysis, we characterised smallholder pig farmers in the northern Uganda by type of labour used for pig production, and explored the distribution of the dimensions of innovation behaviour (exploration, experimentation, adaptation and modification) among them. Results revealed that young educated farmers with non-farm employment, a smaller household size, belonging to a farmer group and who had many pigs were more likely to use hired labour than those with counter characteristics. There were significant differences in the number of farmers who exhibited the different dimensions of innovation behavior. Therefore, interventions to boost pig production through the use of hired labour should consider the socio-economic differences among farmers which determine labour constraints they face.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph P. Musara ◽  
Lovemore Musemwa ◽  
Munyaradzi Mutenje ◽  
Abbyssinia Mushunje ◽  
Charles Pfukwa

Sorghum is important for sustainability of smallholder farmers’ subsistence, social and economic livelihoods in semi-arid and arid environments of Southern Africa. However, production of the crop has been on the decline in the smallholder communities of semi-arid Zimbabwe. The study examines factors affecting smallholder farmers’ inclination towards producing sorghum and allocating differential land proportions towards the crop. The paper uses a double hurdle estimation approach with cross-sectional survey data from 380 small holder sorghum farmers in the Mid Zambezi region. Frequency of contact with relatives, duration of receiving subsidies and the number of groups to which household members belonged had a robust influence (p<0.01) on the adoption decision. Market frequency, availability of storage facilities and the number of buyers in the market significantly (p<0.01) influenced the land allocation decision. Variables influencing the two decisions are not necessarily the same showing independence in the decisions. However, information flow from networks and conditions of market platforms remain important variables in the two decisions. It is important to decentralise sorghum markets, strengthen local networks of kinships and increase the scope of inclusive and responsive formal extension delivery systems. Storage facilities can also be developed in partnership with private players to allow for sales during market windows which generates higher returns for the small holder sorghum farmers.


2008 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Kaczmarek ◽  
Magdalena Skrzypczak

Variation in biological status among Polish males and underlying socio-economic factorsThe main purpose of this study was to evaluate the socio-economic and lifestyle factors associated with biological status of Polish men. Data were collected during a cross-sectional survey carried out in Poznań and several localities in Western Poland, between 2000 and 2002. The sample consisted of 2509 men ranging from 30 to 90 years of age. Biological status was expressed in terms of functional-biological age (BA) computed as a composite z-score of 11 biomarkers according to the method proposed by Borkan and Norris [1980a], and physiological reserve index (PR) developed by Goffauxet al.[2005]. The average biological age profiles (BAP) were compared in several subgroups of participants. The subgroups were categorized based on demographic, socio-economic and lifestyle characteristics. It was found that values of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, BMI, physical and emotional aging indicators and perceived satisfaction with life were significantly associated with most of the study factors, except for smoking habit and education level. The multivariate logistic regression models revealed that two factors, financial situation and physical activity, were significantly associated with the physiological reserve index estimation. The study confirmed the role of the socio-economic and lifestyle factors likely to play in men's biological status and aging rates.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7935
Author(s):  
Diwakar KC ◽  
Dinesh Jamarkattel ◽  
Tek Maraseni ◽  
Dilip Nandwani ◽  
Pratibha Karki

Technologies-based production practices are critical for agricultural growth and sustainable development in low-income countries like Nepal. In the last few years, tunnel house has been increasingly promoted as tools to enhance smallholder farmers’ livelihood and tackle climate adversaries. However, little is known about what factor determines its adoption and whether it helps smallholders adapt to climate change and experience better livelihood. We address these gaps using the cross-sectional survey data collected from 62 adopters and 92 non-adopters in three municipalities of Bagmati Province. We employed descriptive analysis and probit model and found out that age, farm size, and ethnicity strongly influence the technology adoption amongst smallholder farmers. Additionally, treatment model and ordinary least square (OLS) regression were utilized to examine tunnel technology’s effect. Our study shows that tunnel significantly increases production by 32 tons/year/hectare and protects crops from climate change effects such as heavy rainfall and temperature change. Likewise, tunnel technology increases the net crop income by $1700/year/hectare. However, the economic benefit is not substantial compared to technology’s adoption cost as adopters incur enormous costs of $12,000/year/hectare on equipment, labor and resources. These results suggest policymakers should concentrate on reducing the technology’s cost, which could be achieved through subsidies, financial support, or price control mechanisms. Ensuring technology’s affordability can contribute to smallholder farmers’ sustainable livelihood in Nepal and countries with similar contexts.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (7) ◽  
pp. 93
Author(s):  
Roya Shokoohi ◽  
Noor Rosly Hanif ◽  
Melasutra Md Dali

Walking to school is a healthy mode of travel, yet most of the children do not start their day with this activity. The cross- sectional survey used a sample of parents of children (9-12 years old) from public primary schools in Tehran; to examine if socio-economic factors moderate the relationship between parental perception of traffic safety and children travel to school. Results from Multinomial Logistic Models showed that, the numbers of cars in a household and household income are the two main moderators. The findings also showed parental perceptions of traffic safety vary across different socio-economic status areas. Keywords: Socio-economic factors; Children’s travel behavior; Walking to school; Income groups eISSN 2514-7528 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.  


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Woo Jang ◽  
Fei Yuan ◽  
Jose Javier Lopez

This research aims to analyze how modes of transportation differ according to socio-economic factors in an urban space. The study area is Ramsey County, the most densely populated county in Minnesota. The primary data used were from the recent 2012–2016 Census Transportation Planning Products (CTPP). We performed regression models to identify the relationship between mode of transport and socio-economic variables, and further analyzed disaggregate trip data to provide a more realistic evaluation of commuting patterns by use of multiple variables in combination. The research found that sustainable commuting patterns correlated significantly with both poverty and minority group status, but bore no significant relationship to older workers. Additionally, there was a significant correlation between commuting alone by car with both minority group status and older workers, but not with poverty. This research also confirmed that the sustainable commuting patterns of the working poor were mostly located in the downtown area, while causes of low-income workers driving alone typically involved much longer commutes to and from points throughout the study area, suggesting that more efficient commutes are a significant quality of life factor for the urban poor when evaluating residential and employment opportunities in the central city.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Mbir Bryant ◽  
Abdul-Rahaman Afitiri

Abstract Background Sustainability of energy is key for quality life; thus, the use of clean energy at the household level warrants moving from fossil-based energy to modern forms like biogas. However, the joint interactive effect of household income, biogas usage and willingness to adopt a single-stage solar-supported hyper-thermophilic anaerobic biogas digester (SSHTABD) is not known. Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out to assess the willingness of residents of Elmina to adopt the SSHTABD. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used to select 219 respondents fitted into a complementary log–log regression model. Results Household willingness to adopt the SSHTABD was 86%. Among them are households not willing to use biogas but have high income and households willing to use biogas but have either low or high income are more likely to adopt the technology compared to households not willing to use biogas and have low income. Households not willing to use biogas, but have high income (OR = 1.725, confidence interval [CI] 0.803–3.706) and households willing to use biogas, but have low income (OR = 1.877, CI 1.103–3.188) compared to households willing to use biogas and have high income (OR = 1.725, CI 1.080–3.451) are more likely to adopt the technology as households not willing to use biogas and have low income. Additionally, households employed under the formal government sector, formal and informal private sectors are 40%, 136% and 103%, respectively, more likely to adopt the technology than those unemployed. Conclusion The high willingness of households to adopt the technology calls for government to support households to own biogas digesters thus requires policy interventions and interdisciplinary research.


Afrika Focus ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nsubili Isaga

Tanzania like many other developing countries is highly dependent on agriculture for income generation and job creation for its citizens. Because the sector is mainly composed of smallholder farmers, lack of finance remains the leading obstacle to development. This study seeks to determine factors that affect access to bank credit by smallholder farmers in the Mvomero District of Morogoro, Tanzania. The study used a cross-sectional design, with data being collected via the survey method. Purposeful sampling was used to obtain the respondents who fitted into the study objective. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a logistic regression model. The Logit regression model in particular was employed to determine factors that affect smallholder farmers’ access to bank services. The study reveals that the value of assets invested in farming activities, education and gender are significant factors affecting smallholder farmers’ access to bank credit. Policy recommendations include the establishment of a government bank that would exclusively provide financial services to agriculturalists by establishing a credit guarantee scheme, and the development of new financial products by the banks that would cater to the needs of smallholder farmers. Key words: access, bank credit, smallholder farmers, logit regression


2015 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Nabalegwa Wambede Muhamud

This study analysed the role of socio-economic factors in influencing farmers’ adoption to soil conservation technologies in Bugoye Sub-county, Rwenzori Mountain. A cross sectional household survey design was used in this study, using systematic sampling to obtain 150 household samples. Qualitative analysis and chi-square tests were used to analyze these data. Results indicated that only 54% of the sampled households have adopted soil conservation, and revealed that eight of the nine factors significantly influenced farmers’ adoption, which are slope, farm size, farm distance from home, education level, family income, training, membership to NGOs, and credit accessibility. Only family size was insignificant. Other constraints are labour demands, cost of conservation work, land fragmentation, crop pests, and the limited agricultural extension services. It is recommended to perform training for farmers on designing soil conservation structures. Policies for empowering farmers with extra income are crucial to increase the adoption of soil conservation efforts.


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