Potato is one of the most widely cultivated crops in Kenya and a crucial source of income and food. Despite the importance, potato production has been constrained by pests and diseases resulting in low yields and returns among the smallholder farmers precise those in Molo Sub-County. Plant health clinic advisory services are extension services that benefit farmers in terms of changes in knowledge, skills and management of crop pests and diseases leading to production improvement. Although are considered important mechanism in solving plant health problems, not much is known about their influence on potato production. This study sought to determine the influence of plant health clinic advisory services on potato production among smallholder farmers in Molo Sub County, Kenya. The study used a cross section survey design. The accessible population of the study was 6000 smallholder potato farmers and 10 key informants. Simple random sampling was used to select a sample of 152 respondents from four wards and purposive sampling for key informant. Data collected were analyzed using frequency tables, percentages and multiple regression analysis. Frequency of contact with adviser, use of advisory services, usefulness of plant health clinic services and type of advisory information access were found to have statistically significant influence on potato production p = 0.000, p = 0.000, p = 0.007 and p = 0.000 respectively with R2 = 0.618. The study recommendation is that the Ministry of Agriculture in the study area should enhance the provision of plant health clinic advisory services to potato farmers in the area. This could help in the identification of possible areas of intervention in utilization and access so as to improve potato production.

Besides climate-smart agriculture’s (CSA) potential to meet the world’s increasing food demands in the face of climate variability through sustainably increasing food production, its acceptance among farmers is still low. This could be partly because of limited insight into the contextual underpinnings of its uptake. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to establish the relationship between selected socioeconomic factors and the adoption of CSA in Gilgil Sub-County. This study’s results were attained from a binary logistic regression model, using a sample of 120 smallholder potato farmers in two wards of Gilgil Sub-County of Nakuru County, Kenya. An analysis of the five hypothesized explanatory socioeconomic variables contained in the model disclosed that a relationship between socioeconomic factors and adoption of CSAPs was statistically significant at a 5% level of significance (χ2 = 17.966, df = 5, p < 0.05). It further revealed that only two variables had a significant relationship with the adoption of CSAPs. Among these, included gender which was negative and statistically significant at a 5% level of significance (Wald χ2 = 6.701, df = 1, p < 0.05) and annual farm income, which was positive and statistically significant at a 5% level of significance (Wald χ2 = 8.402, df = 1, p < 0.05). Therefore, securing access to vital resources for women farmers is indispensable to enhance their capacity and compliance to adjust production methods in response to climate change. Facilitating increased farm output and income among the farmers is greatly recommended.

Sustainable Agriculture Technologies (SATs) significantly contribute to addressing the negative effects of land degradation, poor soil health and climate variability in the agriculture sector. Despite efforts made by different stakeholders in promoting SATs to improve maize productivity in Mzimba South in Malawi, the adoption of the technologies among small-scale farmers remains unsatisfactory. As a result, most of the farmers continue to realize low maize yields. A survey was conducted from July to September 2019 to investigate the influence of selected institutional and technological factors on the adoption of SATs in maize farming among the small-scale farmers in Mzimba South. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select a representative sample of 132 small-scale maize farming household heads. Data was collected using a researcher-administered questionnaire. Multivariate probit, ordered probit and ordinary least square (OLS) models were applied to determine the influence of the selected factors on the adoption of SATs at α level of .05 using STATA and SPSS. Qualitative data was analyzed by a deductive approach, in which responses were categorized and summarized under the related themes. The study established that the adoption of SATs was significantly influenced by membership in farmer organizations (FOs), access to extension services, and the levels of relative advantage and complexity associated with the SATs. The findings of the study implied that the Government of Malawi and relevant stakeholders in the agriculture sector need to train and recruit more extension field staff to improve coverage and frequency of extension services delivery on sustainable agriculture. The stakeholders should also promote affiliation of the small-scale farmers to FOs to improve access to agricultural extension services and production resources on sustainable farming. In addition, efforts should be made to develop and promote affordable mechanization options for reducing farm drudgery associated with the implementation of SATs. Furthermore, the Government of Malawi should facilitate the formulation, enactment, and enforcement of local by-laws for safeguarding the SATs and their related inputs (or raw materials) against vandalism, livestock damage, and bushfires.

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