Abstract:
Semi-arid peri-urban environment holds great potential for dairy development to meet the high
demand for milk and become a livelihood support strategy. In support for dairy production,
forage technologies were promoted among dairy farmers in order to improve the performance of
the sector and contribute to poverty reduction. However, the level and determinants of adoption
of selected forage technologies in relation to dairy production is still unknown. To address this,
150 dairy farmers, with 120 purposively selected from a list of dairy farmers and 30 additional
dairy farmers randomly selected in the peri-urban areas of Machakos and Wote Towns. The
primary data collected using semi-structured questionnaire were coded, organized and analysed
using descriptive statistics to generate means, frequencies, percentages and chi-square tests. In
addition, a logistic regression model was used to evaluate the determinants of adoption of
selected forage technologies among dairy farmers in the study areas. The findings of this study
show that the levels of adoption of the forage technologies among dairy farmers were low at
p<0.05. Age, gender and family size of the household head were found to be insignificant in
influencing adoption of most forage innovations. Access to extension, expected milk yield, land
tenure and years of experience in dairying greatly influenced adoption of fodder crops; land
tenure system, type of feeding and access to extension influenced adoption of tumbukiza method;
years of experience of dairying, access to extension and expected milk yield greatly influenced
adoption of conservation technologies; type of feeding and years of experience dairying
influenced adoption of hay barn technology while education and experience of the farmer greatly
influenced adoption of feedstuff chopping. Establishment of improved fodder crops, use of
tumbukiza technology, use of hay and silage conservation technique, intensifying extension in
form of farm visits, improvement of water supply and improvement of access of affordable
artificial insemination services and increased availability of skilled artificial inseminators were
identified as mitigation measures to enhance adoption and continued use of selected forage
technologies and improve dairy production in semi-arid regions of south eastern Kenya.
