School of Agriculture, Environment, Water and Natural Resources Management (JA)

Role of Women Farmer Groups in the Adoption of Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices Under Private Sector-Led Extension in Kitui West Sub-County, Kitui County, Kenya

2026-05-05T09:22:28Z

Role of Women Farmer Groups in the Adoption of Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices Under Private Sector-Led Extension in Kitui West Sub-County, Kitui County, Kenya Kilonzo, Boniface K.; Kiruki, Harun M.; Mbala, Simon; Akuja, Thomas E. Smallholder farmers in Kitui West Sub-county, Kitui County, rely heavily on rain-fed agriculture, making them highly vulnerable to climate variability and change. Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) provides a sustainable approach to enhance productivity, resilience, and environmental conservation. However, adoption of CSA practices remains uneven, particularly among women farmers, despite their significant role in agricultural production. This study examined the role of women farmer groups in facilitating the adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices under private sector-led extension systems in Kitui West Sub-county. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, involving 196 smallholder farmers selected using Cochran’s sampling formula. In addition, purposive sampling was used to select women farmer groups, extension agents, and key stakeholders for interviews and focus group discussions. Data were analysed using chi-square tests and binary logistic regression in SPSS. The findings revealed that 75.1% of respondents belonged to women farmer groups, and group membership was significantly associated with CSA adoption (χ² = 10.842, p = 0.001). Frequency of meetings, perceived benefits, and discussiontopics were also significantly associated with CSA uptake (p < 0.05). A majority (81.5%) of respondents perceived women farmer groups as critical drivers of CSA adoption. The study concludes that women farmer groups are effective platforms for promoting CSA through knowledge sharing, collective learning, and access to extension services. The study recommends strengthening private sector partnerships, enhancing access to training and financial services, and promoting gender-responsive extension systems DOI: https://doi.org/10.37284/2707-4307

Factors driving the adoption of climate-smart Agriculture Practices Promoted by the Private Sector among Women Farmer Groups in Kitui West Subcounty, Kitui County, Kenya

2026-04-28T06:08:54Z

Factors driving the adoption of climate-smart Agriculture Practices Promoted by the Private Sector among Women Farmer Groups in Kitui West Subcounty, Kitui County, Kenya Kilonzo, Boniface K; Kiruki, Harun M.; Mbala, Simon; Akuja, Thomas E. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) has been promoted as a smart way of improving farm productivity. However, adoption levels have been low despite concerted efforts by both public and private sector actors. This has been attributed to reduced access to extension services, credit, and markets, especially by women farmer groups who make a significant contribution to the adoption of CSA. By actively involving women, the private sector-led model has far-reaching benefits in that women are usually organised into farmer groups, learn easily, and therefore adopt sustainable agricultural practices with ease. Guided by Diffusion of Innovation Theory, this study explored the potential of women farmer groups in driving the uptake of private sector-led adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices. A mixed-method approach was used, where qualitative research entailed data collection through interviews with 19 women farmer groups, private sector representatives, and stakeholders, while the quantitative method involved administering questionnaires to 196 farmers. Collected data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results indicated that women farmers belonging to organised groups were more likely to adopt CSA practices than non-members (p < .05). The findings also revealed that women farmer groups play a facilitative role by enabling peer learning, resource pooling, and collective engagement with private sector actors. Results showed that women with access to institutional support, particularly extension and credit services, were more likely to adopt CSA practices than those without such support (p < .05). The study recommends strengthening private sector–led training and extension initiatives with a deliberate focus on women farmer groups. Second, policies should prioritise the formation and strengthening of women farmer groups as a strategy for scaling CSA practices. Third, government and development partners should enhance access to affordable credit and inputs through gender-responsive financing mechanisms to address key institutional barriers. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37284/eajab.9.1.4880

The frequency of content with elements of negative behaviour published in the pulse magazine

2026-04-23T09:54:40Z

The frequency of content with elements of negative behaviour published in the pulse magazine Owuor, Steven O.; Yakub, Adams; Nyambuga, Charles Globally the print media has made strides in publishing content that is appealing to readers. The Kenyan mainstream newspapers have established colourful and sensational pullouts to attract youthful audience. Among the most popular free pullout entertainment magazines is the ‘Pulse’ which is accessed by the youth in secondary schools and may have a behavioural impact on them. This paper analysed the frequency of content with elements of negative behaviour published in the Pulse that would likely motivate secondary school students to engage in practices such as sexual activities, alcohol consumption and night partying which may lead to teenage pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, school dropouts, prostitution and drug abuse. A sample size of 46 magazines were purposively drawn from a study population of 52 weekly Pulse magazines running from January to December 2018. The revelation that the magazine published a high frequency of content with elements of negative behaviour was of concern due to the likelihood that the youth would engage in risky behaviour if given a chance leading to outcomes detrimental to their health and academic performance. The study will assist education policy makers,the media, and academicians in establishing ethical policies during the development of print media content. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55197/qjssh.v1i4.24

Kisumu County secondary school students’ preferences to content published in the pulse magazine in retrospect to negative behaviour

2026-04-23T08:17:15Z

Kisumu County secondary school students’ preferences to content published in the pulse magazine in retrospect to negative behaviour Owuor, Steven O.; Nyambuga, C.; Yakub, A. Globally the print media has made strides in publishing content that is appealing to readers. The Kenyan mainstream newspapers have established colourful and sensational pullouts to attract youthful readers. Among the most popular free pullout entertainment magazines is the ‘Pulse’ which is accessed by the youth in secondary schools and its content may be having a behavioural impact on them. The objective of the study was to establish the preference secondary school students have to content published in the Pulse on negative behaviour that is likely to motivate students to engage in practices that contribute to cases of early pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and drug abuse. The study was guided by the Media Dependency Theory by Ball-Rokeach and DeFluer [1], showing audience dependency on media information. The study adopted a cross-sectional design targeting a population of 24,539 students. A sample size of 393 was drawn from the population of 24,539 students using Yamane [2], sample size formula. The study thereafter administered questionnaires to the 392 students. The study established that 356 respondents out of the 393 found content in the Pulse magazine appealing at a frequency rate of 90%. This was of concern due to the likelihood that the youth would engage in risky behaviour if given a chance leading to outcomes detrimental to their health and academic performance. The study will assist education policy makers, the media, and academicians in establishing ethical policies during the development of print media content. DOI: 10.36348/sjhss.2020.v05i10.002