Technology dissemination among small-scale farmers in Meru Central District of Kenya: Impact of group participation

The goal of this study was to examine the role of farmer groups in technology dissemination, and to assess what factors make groups effective in extending technologies among small-scale dairy-goat farmers in Meru Central District of Kenya. The theoretical framework for the study included insight from agricultural extension theory, farming systems research and extension, social capital, and group theory.; A mixed-methods, multiple-stage approach was used to obtain data. Research techniques included participant observation, documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews, social mapping, group timelines, and structured questionnaires. Dairy-goat farmer groups (n = 46) and individual farmers (n = 88) were interviewed during the study. Qualitative data provided baseline information, and helped in the formation of research questions. Quantitative data were entered into the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) and analyzed using contingency tables, descriptive statistics, correlations, tests of significance, and regression.; Most farmers in Meru Central District belonged to some type of farmer group. Factors for participation in different types of groups included household size, wealth level, age, gender, and membership in other groups. The dairy-goat groups were linked with an average of nine outside entities. Major linkages included government extension, chief baraza (public meeting), churches, and the non-governmental organization Food and Agricultural Research Management (FARM)-Africa. Dairy-goat groups had a variety of mechanisms for disseminating information and technology, including the baraza, the buck (breeding) station, through training others, and in other groups that members belonged to. Certain factors about the dairy-goat groups were associated with success in dissemination. These included type of group (those facilitated by the dairygoat project versus those not), location, age of group, number of trainings, homogeneity of members, and number of linkages.; In the pluralistic extension milieu today, farmer groups play an increasingly important role in the technology dissemination process. Most farmers in Meru were in groups, which were linked to other organizations and were disseminating the information and technologies that they had. Groups are a key way for farmers to receive information and training, and then to tell or train others. Some ingredients that might increase the success of such groups include increasing capacity in groups (and especially of key members), finding ways to link them with other extension providers, strengthening government administration in the form of baraza, and encouraging groups to form around common interests at the community level.