| dc.description.abstract | This study is about the history of the transition from subsistence to cash crop farming
in Abogeta Sub-County in Meru County, Kenya, from 1937-1980. The main
economic activity of the people in Abogeta Sub-County is farming and keeping
livestock. Before 1937 farming practices were mainly for subsistence. Crops grown
included millet, sorghum, peas, arrowroots, yams, beans and cowpeas. However,
many changes occurred in the agricultural sector by 1937. This study aimed to
examine the transition from subsistence to cash crop farming and its effects on food
production in Abogeta Sub County of Meru from 1937 to 1980. The following
objectives guided the study: to investigate the modes of agricultural practices
embraced by the people of the Abogeta sub-county from 1937-1980, to account for
the transition from subsistence to cash crop farming and to establish the implications
of the transition from subsistence to cash crop farming on food production. It was
guided by the Articulation of Modes of Production theory, whose main precept is that
penetration of capitalism in Africa affected modes of production. The theory was used
to explain how capitalist theory spread in Abogeta Sub County and its effects on food
production. The study employed a descriptive research design to describe the events
as they occurred systematically. The target population was 179608 as per the 2019
census. A total of 30 respondents were randomly sampled and interviewed from
Abogeta Sub County. The data collection instruments were interview schedules,
focused group discussions and observation schedules. The data sources included oral,
archival, and secondary sources, which were corroborated to meet the reliability and
objectivity of the research. The study was analyzed and presented through Qualitative
Data Analysis. The study revealed that people from Abogeta Sub County traditionally
engaged in subsistence farming. Farming shifted to cash crop farming in 1937 with
the introduction of cash crops like coffee and tea. The study also noted that the
transition had both positive and negative impacts on the people of Abogeta. Food
insecurity and migration were noted during the study. Agricultural activities were
mainly for subsistence and not for sale. Chapter four has evidence of the transition
from subsistence to cash crop farming, where farmers shifted from food crops to
planting cash crops of tea, coffee, French beans, bananas and cabbages for sale. The
study revealed that money from the sale of cash crops had been diverted to paying
school fees, loan payments, and buying clothes leaving little or no money to purchase
enough food for household consumption. The study affected the social organization of
the people of abogeta. The study may be useful to future researchers in a related area.
Policymakers in the government may use the study to find solutions to food insecurity
in Abogeta Sub County of Meru County. | en_US |
