Coping with Shocks and Determinants among Indigenous Vegetable Smallholder Farmers in Kenya

Ngenoh, Evans; Kebede, Sindu W.; Bett, Hillary K.; Bokelmann, Wolfgang

doi:10.4236/as.2018.97057

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Government extension services: Access to extension services can help farmers to change and build their resilience and capacity to deal with shocks [32] by exposing them to innovations, information, etc. Government extension services often provide farmers with general technical support.…”

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confidence: 99%

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COVID-19 Effects and Resilience of Vegetable Farmers in North-Western Nigeria

Yegbemey

Ahihou

Olorunnipa³

et al. 2021

Agronomy

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The COVID-19 pandemic has particularly affected the supply of perishable foods such as vegetables, which could adversely affect food and nutrition security. Here, we study the mechanisms by which COVID-19 has affected vegetable production and the coping strategies adopted by smallholder farmers. We use cross-sectional data collected through individual interviews on a random sample of 521 vegetable producers in north-western Nigeria. The perceptions of respondents, measured on a 5-point Likert scale (from 1—not affected, to 5—severely affected), shows that COVID-19 had an average effect of 3.07 (±1.23) on vegetable production. Farmers also reported challenges in accessing farm inputs and storing or selling fresh vegetable produced. In response, farmers reduced market-oriented vegetable production, produced more vegetables for own consumption, added value through own home processing and storage, explored new markets, and accepted lower farmgate selling prices. A multivariate probit regression shows that socio-economic factors such as age, household size, marital status, challenges in accessing inputs, and perceptions of the effects of COVID-19 influenced farmers’ decisions to adopt particular coping strategies. To sustain vegetable supplies, policy makers should consider investing more in market-oriented strategies such as vegetable processing and storage, which individual farmers may not be able to afford due to high costs, lack of information and required knowledge on good agronomic practices, postharvest handling, storage and market. Public extension services can contribute to help farmers to adapt better.

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confidence: 99%

“…Farmers with a higher number of household members were more likely to engage in coping strategies that are labour intensive and also allow them producing enough food for their households. Access and entitlement to natural capital significantly determined the decisions taken by smallholder African traditional vegetable farmers to cope with shocks [32].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Effects and Resilience of Vegetable Farmers in North-Western Nigeria

Yegbemey

Ahihou

Olorunnipa³

et al. 2021

Agronomy

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“…Smallholder farmers in developing countries are often very vulnerable to external shocks, facing various challenges, including unexpected negative events in the form of risks ( Ngenoh et al, 2019 , Ngenoh et al, 2018 ). These risks can be interpreted as a set of different shocks that are defined as adverse events, costing individuals and families in terms of limited or no income, reduced consumption, and/or the sale of assets ( Bonfrer and Gustafsson-Wright, 2017 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some of these shocks are correlated in nature and are common to all families in a community, such as droughts and floods, while others are unique and specific to individual families, such as job loss and illness ( Dhanaraj, 2014 ). Most shocks may affect production systems, food markets, and local economies, all of which have direct effects on food and nutrition security ( Ngenoh et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing impacts of COVID-19 and their responses among smallholder farmers in Brazil, Madagascar and Tanzania

et al. 2022

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This study investigates the impacts of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on smallholder farmers and their coping strategies in three contrasting Low- and Middle-Income Countries. The case studies include Brazil (South region), Madagascar (Atsimo Atsinanana region), and Tanzania (Morogoro/Eastern Tanzania). These countries were chosen because i) the economies are strongly influenced by the agricultural sector; ii) their national food security is strongly affected by smallholder production, and, iii) they represent a set of contrasting government responses to COVID-19 including the denial of the pandemic. Data were collected through semi-structured household interviews in all three countries in rural areas. COVID-19 induced effects were found in all three countries, including in Brazil and Tanzania where both national governments initially neglected the existence of COVID-19 and introduced few containment measures only. Here, mobility and trade restrictions of other countries impact also on agricultural trade and production in countries in which governments took less action to COVID-19 and also people remained home and practiced social distancing even if no official government policy was issued. The findings in all three countries suggest that the COVID-19 crisis had negatively affected smallholders’ agricultural production, leading to a vicious cycle of low production, low incomes, and higher food insecurity. Results of this study raise the thorny issue of how best to balance containment of pandemic and future shocks against the well-being of the vulnerable rural population in lower- and middle-income countries; especially considering also the degree of global interconnected and the potential of polices to effect people beyond the national scale.

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“…Despite efforts made by Nigerian Government to overcome economic recession the country is yet to overcome the shocks. Shocks in agriculture are not only of natural disaster or weather related such as rainfall or temperature variability, but also related to changes in market demand and supply (Ngenoh, Kebede, Bett and Bokelmann, 2018). This could have negative effects on farm productivity which invariably leads to decrease in food security.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of Yam Farmers’ Choice of Coping Strategies to Economic Recession in Oye Local Government Area, Ekiti State, Nigeria.

Yusuf,

Folorunso,

Yusuf

2021

JAEESS

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The study assessed the determinants of yam farmers’ choice of coping strategies to economic recession in Oye Local Government Area of Ekiti State. Specifically, this study identified measures adopted by the yam farmers to cope with economic recession in the study area. Data for the study were collected through structured questionnaire which was administered to 122 yam farmers. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data for the study. The result of the study indicated that over 70% of the farmers were engaged in petty business and Intensify on on-farm activities to cope with economic recession. Estimates of Tobit regression model showed that sex of the farmer, level of education, occupation, extension visit, and association membership were significant at 1% level of probability, while farming experience and household size were significant at 5% level of probability. The result implies that yam farmers’ choice of coping strategies to economic recession is determined by these variables. Based on these findings, it is recommended that adult education programmes should be organized by the local government in order to increase the literacy levels of the respondents, likewise extension visit should be strengthened through provision of necessary logistics so that farmers will be sensitized on the different strategies to cope with economic recession. Farmer’s associations should be encouraged by the extension agent, as it is an avenue for sharing information and knowledge among themselves which could help in making better choice of coping strategies. The involvement of farmers in other occupation could serve as an avenue to earn additional income which could help in the choice of coping strategies to economic recession.

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Coping with Shocks and Determinants among Indigenous Vegetable Smallholder Farmers in Kenya

Cited by 7 publications

References 39 publications

COVID-19 Effects and Resilience of Vegetable Farmers in North-Western Nigeria

COVID-19 Effects and Resilience of Vegetable Farmers in North-Western Nigeria

Assessing impacts of COVID-19 and their responses among smallholder farmers in Brazil, Madagascar and Tanzania

Determinants of Yam Farmers’ Choice of Coping Strategies to Economic Recession in Oye Local Government Area, Ekiti State, Nigeria.

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