Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

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Browsing Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences by Author "Chikamai, B.N.,"

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    “Gum Opoponax and Myrrh Market Structure, Conduct and Performance in Wajir County.”
    (2017-03-21) Luvanda, • A.M.; Macharia, I.N; Chikamai, B.N.,; Wambugu, S.K.
    Abstract This study focused on gum Opoponax and Myrrh that are harvested from Commiphora holtziana (Ehrenb) Engl. and C. myrrha (Nees) Engl. in the drylands of Kenya. The aim was to assess and fill information gaps on gum Opoponax and Myrrh market structure, conduct and performance in Wajir County. A total of 104 randomly sampled collectors, processors, commodity dealers and consumers were interviewed. The two commodities exhibit an oligopoly market structure which is characterised by a few big wholesalers with gross profit margins of between 5% and 16%. The quantity of gum resin from Wajir County averaged 450,000 kg per year accounting for about 25% of the national trade volume of 3.3 million kg between 2011 and 2015. The producer price was US$ 1.2 for Hagar and US$ 3.2 for Malmal. These gum resins were mainly exported to China and Vietnam which controls 60% of the international gum resin market. It is recommended that national and county governments ensure accurate and timely trade data capture, guarantee and strengthen local value addition initiatives and institutions.
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    Socio-Economic Factors Influencing Collection of Gum Myrrh and Opoponax from the Wild in Wajir County, Kenya.
    (2017-05) Luvanda, A.M.; Chikamai, B.N.,; Macharia, I.N; Wambugu, S. K.
    This study aimed at generating information to streamline gum myrrh and opoponax collection andpost-harvest handling activities to support livelihood of local communities in Wajir County. Theresource managers, producer and other stakeholders were interviewed using pre-tested checklists andquestionnaires.Atotal of 187 gum resin respondents werepurposefullysampled. The findingsshowed that the main economic activity was pastoralism. The gum resins were gaining popularityand were harvested by professional gum resin collectors through either natural exudates or tappingfor domestic and commerce purposes. Each collector harvested an average of 4 kg/day and 3 kg/dayof Malmal and Hagar respectively during the June-September peak production. Thehousehold size,distance to the market and number of trees harvested significantly influenced quantity of hagarcollected per day at 99% confidence interval. Alternatively, the distance to the market significantlyinfluenced the quantity of malmal harvested per day at99% confidence interval. Thus to ensureenhanced benefits to collectors, it is recommended that national and county governments enhancetechnical support and strengthen the capacity of collectors and institutions.