Extent of Adoption and Use of Agricultural Technologies in Moiben Sub County of Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Abstract

The significance of agriculture as a driver of economic growth cannot be gainsaid. It contributes to food security and generates employment, and it is closely integrated with other sectors of the national economy. Therefore, agriculture is an important element in poverty reduction initiatives. The agricultural sector in Using Gishu County, Kenya contributes approximately 25% to the country's GDP and, together with Trans Nzoia, are considered Kenya's bread basket. However, the sector has contributed far below the expectation to the economy. It is, therefore, important that adoption and use of agricultural technologies in agriculture and their potential in socio economic development should be investigated. To advance this investigation, the study was organized around two particular research questions, namely to describe modern agricultural technologies utilized in Moiben Sub County, and examine the extent of use and impact of agricultural technologies on agricultural development. Survey research design was employed. Households engaged in agriculture in Moiben Sub County, UasinGishu County constituted the study population. The study applied the voluntary purposive sampling method to select a sample of 120 respondents, consisting of 24 respondents from each of the five wards in Moiben Sub County. The data collection methods used was focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews. The data was analyzed qualitatively. The study found out that: modern agricultural technology is applied by most of the agriculturalist in Moiben Sub County at their different levels of farming activities in order to curb food insecurity since they proved to be efficient in production. The finding further elaborately describes the types of modern agricultural/farming technologies that are in use in Moiben Sub-County such as; hybrid seeds, weed controls, artificial insemination, non-human labour harvesters, and milking machines. In determining the extent of adoption and use of modern technology by the farmers of Moiben Sub-County, the study outcomes revealed high extent of adoption o modern agricultural technology; it was revealed that there is need for farmers to willingly seek information and technology for the effectiveness of their business. The results obtained from this study will assist in establishing effective strategies for simulating potential growth of various sectors within the economy and will be useful in resolving the challenge of poverty facing Moiben in UasinGishu County, Kenya.