Comparison of farming productivity on economic well-being between households using conventional and indigenous farming methods in the Midlands of Embu County in Kenya

Abstract

Agriculture is vital to Kenya’s economy, supporting over 80% of rural residents, contributing one-third of GDP, and supplying 65% of export earnings. Despite international and national efforts to promote conventional and sustainable farming, global food insecurity has worsened, with acute hunger rising by 10% to affect 343 million people in 74 countries. Industrial-scale, high-yield agriculture has often destabilized sustainability, causing environmental harm, social inequality, chronic diseases, and increased food insecurity. With the global population expected to reach 10.4 billion by the 2080s, transforming agri-food systems is crucial for resilient food security, environmental resiliency and economic stability. The reliance on rain-fed agriculture at the Midlands of Embu County highlights the need to compare conventional and indigenous farming productivity to better understand their effect on economic well-being. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of farming productivity on economic well-being between conventional and Indigenous farm households at the midlands of Embu County in Kenya. The study adopted the comparative research design and descriptive survey design. The study population comprised of 66,878 farmer households and key informants in the Midlands of Embu County in Kenya. A sample size of 384 was drawn from the farm households according to the Cochran formula. Stratified random sampling, Purposive and systematic random sampling techniques were used. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires, interview schedule and observation check lists. A pilot test of the research instruments was conducted on 36 respondents from Evurori, Kirimari and Gachoka wards were a Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of 0.965 was obtained showing high level reliability of the research instruments. The data was then analyzed using SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to summarize results on respondents’ responses on the effect of the farm productivity on economic well-being. T-test was used to compare the productivity of indigenous and conventional farming methods while simple linear regression was used to establish the relationships between farm productivity and house hold economic well-being. The simple linear regression on  farm Productivity  (FP) indicated a significant negative effect on Income Total, with p = .001 for the indigenous farming practices with R² = 0.060 while for conventional farming the results revealed a statistically significant relationship between the two variables with a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.152 and an R-squared value of 0.023. The study recommends implementation of policies that promote sustainable farming, protect small scale farmers and encourage biodiversity conservation. The results obtained will guide adoption of sustainable farming practices, policy reviews and add to the existing knowledge of research.