Dissemination of market access and technology information among coconut farmers: a case study of Kilifi County in Kenya

Abstract

The study was to determine the effectiveness of value chain approach to upgrading the coconut sub-sector. Focus was on identification and assessment of farmer’s personal attributes influencing farmer-to-farmer dissemination of market access and technology information. A baseline survey, preceding a participatory value chain analysis, involving 113 sampled households in Kilifi County was conducted. Data collected was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Tests on factors associated with farmer-to-farmer and processor-to-farmer dissemination of market access and technology information were done. Findings show that 88.5% of households were headed by male farmers with gender of household heads showing no significance in information dissemination on market access (p= 0.730) and market access and technology information (p= 0.574). Most farmers (63.6% males and 42.3% females) had secondary and above levels of education and were giving more market access and technology information than their counterparts. Statistical analysis also shows a difference in dissemination amongst farmers with different levels of education which was not significant (p=0.183). Processors with investment above average (37.2%) showed a tendency to disseminate information more than their counterparts but this was not significant for market access information (p=0.259) and market access and technology information (p=0.571).