Smallholder Farmers’ Practice and Perception of Organic Farming in Kisii Central Sub - County, Kisii County, Kenya
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Date
2022-12-24
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IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science (IOSR-JAVS)
Abstract
Organic farming (OF) is known to contribute to: healthy living, increase in farm income, and safe and
sustainable environments. It is in view of the benefits that OF systems are encouraged across countries in SubSaharan Africa, including Kenya. This paper investigates smallholder farmers’ practice and perception of
organic farming in Kisii Central Sub – County, Kenya. The study employed descriptive survey research design
where a total of 306 respondents were interviewed. Results show that nearly all (97%) of smallholder farmers
are practicing OF with use of animal manure (87%), crop rotation (72%) and cover crops (55%) as the
predominant practices. The high number of farmers practicing OF can be attributed to information on OF
farming being easily available (52%); strong agreement on positive effects of OF farming on environment
(69%), and the anticipated future demand for OF products (84%). This study recommends that promoters of
organic farming should take note of the positive rating and perception of organic farming.
Description
Keywords
Smallholder farmers, Perception, Adoption, Organic farming, Practices