Use of Participatory Video in Enhancing Sorghum Production among Smallholder Sorghum Farmers’ in Rachuonyo North Sub-County, Kenya
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- Select Volume / Issue:
- Year:
- 2014
- Type of Publication:
- Article
- Keywords:
- Participatory Video, Push-pull Technology, Sorghum Production, Striga
- Authors:
- Ouma, Matilda A.; Onyango, Christopher A.; Ombati, Justus M.; R., Khan Z.; O., Midega C. A.; J., Pittchar
- Journal:
- IJRAS
- Volume:
- 1
- Number:
- 3
- Pages:
- 189-193
- Month:
- May
- Note:
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
- Abstract:
- Push-pull technology (PPT) is currently and widely promoted amongst smallholder farmers in western Kenya in order to enhance sorghum production. It effectively controls the most critical biotic constraints of stemborers and striga weed affecting cereal production in smallholder farming systems in Africa. Since it is a relatively knowledge intensive technology, accessing information about its efficacy is critical for maximum adoption and continued use. PPT has been disseminated through traditional extension methods which have not proven very successful. Although PPT has been successfully demonstrated to improve livelihoods and welfare of poor farmers, its adoption by, and impact on the majority of the farmers and other end users remains a challenge. This is majorly attributed to ineffective dissemination pathways. Participatory Video (PV) is being promoted as an alternative to such methods to enhance use of PPT to increase sorghum production. This study sought to determine the effectiveness of PV in sharing PPT knowledge to enhance sorghum production among smallholder sorghum farmers in Rachuonyo North. The study utilized a cross-sectional survey research design to collect data from 120 randomly selected smallholder sorghum farmers who were trained through PV, using a semi-structured interview schedule. The data was analyzed using SPSS and presented using frequency tables, percentages, charts, graphs, averages, and Chi-square test. The results indicated that almost all PV trained farmers easily shared out information to fellow farmers. The results also indicated a statistically significant positive relationship between knowledge shared and knowledge use. The study recommends sustainable up-scaling of effective participatory methods and approaches like PV for public extension to reach more farmers beyond the study area, and for other agricultural enterprises. This is significant for policy on dissemination and adoption of agricultural productivity enhancing technologies such as PPT.
Full text: IJRAS_22_Final.pdf [Bibtex]