Adoption and Utilization of Zai Pits for Improved Farm Productivity in Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya.

Abstract

Smallholder farmers in low midland zones of Tharaka-Nithi County are facing challenges in improving agricultural productivity and livelihoods. Low crop yields due to low erratic rainfall, high evapotranspiration, and deteriorating soil health in smallholder farmers’ fields have led to a quest for sustainable production practices with greater resource use efficiency. To alleviate these challenges, impact of zai pits was assessed in terms of factors that influence adoption in Tharaka-Nithi County, located in low midland zones of eastern Kenya. Interview schedules were used to elicit information from 290 farmers. A descriptive statistical analysis approach was used to analyse data. There was significant relationship between farmers who had been visited by an agricultural officer and adoption ((2=6.019, P=0.05), where a higher percentage of farmers who had adopted had been visited by non-governmental extension agents. A significant difference existed between the average farm size of adopters and non-adopters (t=2.7, df=285, P=0.05). There is need to re-evaluate the role that socio-economic variables and farm characteristics contribute in adoption of Zai pits as a water harvesting technology.