Factors Influencing Choice and Adoption of Integrated Soil Fertility Management Technologies in Central Kenya Highlands

The paper presents the findings of a study conducted to determine farmers' perceptions of some of soil fertility management-specific attributes and influence on adoption decisions. The specific objectives were: (i) to determine the relationship between perceptions and choice of integrated soil fertility management (ISFM), and (ii) to evaluate the perceptions among farmers for specific attributes inherent in some of ISFM strategies. Mother trials were established in a centralized place in Mukanduini Village of Central division of Kirinyaga district and Kariti in Kandara, Maragua district during the long rains of the year 2003. Fourteen ISFM strategies were established in the two seasons wherein the farmers were exposed to the fourteen strategies in a participatory manner. It was anticipated that after the initial exposure to the technologies, the farmers would be encouraged to replicate the same on their farms within the constraints of resource endowment and preference considerations. The results of the project activities revealed the following: (i) Majority (70.2%) of the willing participants were predominantly male (ii) Majority (52.6%) of the participating farmers had below secondary school level of education, (iii) the participants were elderly (49.0 years average), (iv) the average farm size in across the two villages was 1.92 acres (std. dev. = 1.7), (iii) approximately 73% of the farmers confirmed that availability of the inputs used in the ISFM strategies is important, (iv) about 98.2% of the farmers confirmed that use of some of the ISFM strategies resulted in enhanced crop growth vigour, (vii) majority of the farmers (66.7%) did not find labour associated with the use of technologies an important factor in determining their adoption decisions, (viii) about 94.7% of the farmers consider use of Tithonia a viable ISFM option, (ix) approximately 38.6% of the farmers consider cost implication of the technologies an important factor in determining their adoption decisions, and (x) use of green manures is not a preferred ISFM option but fertilizer manure mixtures produce favourable results hence attractive to over 70% of the farmers. The study concludes that future technology up-scaling efforts put into consideration the farmers' prevailing circumstances and the identified farmer preference considerations in promotional strategies.