Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Kenya is a country of 35 million people and is situated in Eastern Africa. 70% of the
population works within the agricultural sector and for many of them food insecurity is a
major problem. Maize and beans are today the staple food for many households. Good
farming conditions enable two harvests per year and a potential maize yield of 4-5 tons per
hectare.

A major problem for many farmers in this area is the increase of the weed striga. The weed
causes severe yield losses, and has a major economic impact on smallholders. There are
several types of maize farming systems used today and they are all more or less affected by
striga. The focus of this study is the economic difference between these systems and is based
on the following aim.

The aim of this study is to find the most economically beneficial maize farming system that is
used today by smallholders in Western Kenya.

To reach this objective a literature review as well as an empirical study was made. The
literature review revealed facts about striga its impact and methods to combat it. The
empirical study is based on 30 interviews conducted during the spring of 2011 in Western
Kenya. It provides general information about the farming situation today, and the type of
maize farming systems. The data used to calculate the different average gross margins for the
systems respectively.

The results of this study reveal that the most economically beneficial maize farming system is
the one where resistant maize is intercropped with legumes. Other farming systems that
according to the literature are favourable are not included in this study since they were not
represented in the fields. The reason why farmers do not use these more favourable systems
is a lack of information and insufficient supply of agro commodities.