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    Market in their palms? : exploring smallholder farmers' use of mobile phone farming applications and their effect on the farmers' farming, marketing and well-being : a case study of selected counties in Kenya : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2014) Ajwang, Fredrick Odhiambo
    The role of technology in development has been discussed in wide and varied literature. Over the course of history, technology has facilitated the process of development by helping individuals transcend some of the problems they face in their daily life. In recent times, the revolution in information and communication technology has come to play a crucial role in development and poverty reduction. This study explored the use of such technology, in this case the mobile phone farming applications, by smallholder farmers in Kenya to facilitate their agricultural production and marketing. The aim of the study was to explore the use of the mobile phone farming applications by the smallholder farmers to access markets and information and to assess the effects of their use on the farmers’ farming and marketing experience as well as their well-being outcomes. The results from the study indicate that the mobile phone faming applications have facilitated the smallholder farmers to access markets and marketing information. These applications have been effective in reducing the information search costs and marketing transaction costs for the smallholder farmers leading to enhanced access to information and markets. The reduced marketing transaction costs have, in turn, led to increased market participation by the smallholder farmers. Evidence from the literature indicates that when smallholder farmers have increased access to market information, their power in the market, in terms of their ability to bargain with traders, increases. In this study, it was also found that the rural farmers had been empowered by their increased access to information and they could, therefore, engage in price negotiation with potential buyers. This, together with access to higher paying markets, led to an increase in the farmers’ income. Furthermore, the use of these applications facilitated the farmers to form networks with other farmers and traders. These networks, eventually became, an important source of marketing and production information to the farmers. In contrast, it was found that the mobile phone farming applications were not effective in providing agricultural production information to the smallholder farmers. As a result, the farmers were using other means to access agricultural production information. These included the use of the internet and the networks and linkages with other farmers to access agricultural production information. However, evidence from the study indicates that, these mobile phone farming applications have a potential of facilitating smallholder farmers’ access to information and markets in Kenya.
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    The consequences of emerging cash crops on small-scale rural farmers' livelihoods : a case study of the energy crop, Jatropha Curcas L, in Kenya : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2011) Wamalwa, Joshua Kizito
    This thesis investigates claims that growing of drought resistant cash crops such as Jatropha Curcas L (Jatropha) by small-scale rural farmers living in arid and semi-arid regions is an effective way to improve their livelihoods through increased income and improved food security. One school of thought supports this claim – often made by proponents of the bio-fuel industry - and another is sceptical about the claim. This research used the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework to evaluate the impact of growing Jatropha on the livelihoods of smallscale rural farmers in the Meru North district in Kenya. The findings revealed that, some elements of Jatropha farming as an agricultural strategy could be capable of improving rural livelihoods. Interviews carried out with farmers showed that Jatropha growing has had positive and negative impacts on the farmers’ livelihoods. Farmers - especially those who were also traders in Jatropha - noted significant positive impacts in their financial, physical, human, and natural capital domains as demonstrated in the asset pentagon. However, the impacts were far less positive for those farmers who only produced Jatropha. Positive impacts of Jatropha were also noted amongst the wider rural communities. Local people interviewed indicated that Jatropha growing has increased their access to job opportunities as farmers were now employing local people on a casual basis to help out on the Jatropha farms. The local people including farmers have also used the Jatropha plant as a soil protector in places where land is susceptible to soil erosion and mud slides in the region. There were some fundamentals of rural livelihoods that did not experience any immediate impact as a result of Jatropha farming. For instance, food production has not been impacted upon negatively as expected. Food supply in the region has remained constant due to the modes of Jatropha production adopted by farmers that do not interfere with the production of food crops. Similarly, no evidence was found that Jatropha growing had impacted positively or negatively on communal or state-owned physical capital assets. Negative impacts were however noted in the social capital domains of farmers, as many farmers who produced Jatropha but did not trade it themselves have lost trust in their neighbours who acted as their middlemen or traders. More so, this study concludes that the expansion of the Jatropha trade has increased inequality among farmers. Farmers who are ii presumed to be the poorest in the region are not taking up the growing of Jatropha, therefore the benefits of growing Jatropha are only being tapped by the richer farmers. In addition this thesis concludes that growing of Jatropha has increased labour demand for family members and particularly women are bearing much of the heavy labour impact in households in rural areas.