This study explored the motivations behind university students’ participation in university incubation programs (UIPs), and examines how in addition, personality and stigma failure impact the sustainability of their agribusiness. Using a multistage sampling technique, 272 student respondents from seven universities were selected. The data were analysed through Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to identify key motivational dimensions. Results revealed two principal components: students are motivated by neccessity than opportunity factors when joining UIPs. These factors, along with personality traits and fear of failure, were further analysed using the Structural Equation Model under the Partial Least Square method. A p-value of 0.000 revealed positive and significant relationship between necessity-driven motivations and agribusiness sustainability. Additionally, a p-value of 0.000, showed a significant relationship between personality traits and sustainability. Conversely, opportunity motivation factors had no significant relationship to the sustainability of agribusinesses (p-value = 0.831). To enhance the success of incubated agribusinesses, training programs should focus on necessity-driven motivations, while policymakers should consider interventions that reduce unemployment by institutionalizing UIPs. These could lower entrepreneurial opportunity cost and encourage more students to engage in sustainable agribusiness ventures.

A major component of contemporary agriculture is machinery. Nonetheless, in Kenya and other African nations, the rate of adoption of agricultural machinery remains quite low. Understanding the fundamental causes and their impacts on agricultural output is crucial. Using data collected from a household survey of 1,499 farmers in Western Kenya, this study employed the endogenous switching regression model to examine the use of chisel harrows and their effects on maize production. Results show that the adoption of the chisel harrow was positively impacted by factors such as farm size, credit accessibility, gender, extension contact, and education attainment, while factors such as age and market proximity had a negative impact. The yield per hectare was higher for adopters than for non-adopters. According to the counterfactual analysis results, those who utilized chisel harrow tools were able to achieve a higher yield (1512 kg/ha) than they would have if they had not used the equipment (1099 kg/ha). The average maize yield per hectare increased by 413 kg and 217 kg for adopters and non-adopters, respectively, when chisel harrows were used. It is concluded that while training and field demonstrations may also be held to increase farmers’ understanding of the benefits of the chisel harrow, encouraging farmers to adopt the tool has the potential to improve low production in the surveyed regions.

This study focused on mapping agripreneurship curriculum and lecturers’ competencies in 8 African Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), participating in the Strengthening Agri-Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement Training in East, West and North Africa (AgriENGAGE) joint Project. A sample of 194 lecturers from East, West, and North Africa participated in the study. The study employed a mixed method approach with concurrent nested research design methodology to collect information. Among the main results found in this study, the key aspects that were implemented in curricula were; business plan development (µ = 3.57), business opportunities identification (µ = 3.56), and communicating with value chain actors (= 3.51). Concerning the forms of entrepreneurship taught, most institutions focused on subsistence agripreneurship (µ = 3.23) with growth-oriented agripreneurship (µ = 2.50) and innovative-oriented agripreneurship (µ = 2.50) having the lowest rating. Regarding teaching methods within the provision of entrepreneurship education, most of the institutions were using traditional teaching methodologies with the common ones being formal lectures, field trips, in-class group discussions, and group project-based learning. Most lecturers had low teaching competencies concerning instructional quality and a moderate/average level of entrepreneurial competencies. The study recommends that universities should implement more professional development and pedagogical training over and above the subject competency to improve lecturers’ entrepreneurial competency.

Rice contributes significantly to food security, employment and increased income among many households. The demand and consumption of rice in Kenya have greatly widened due to rapid population growth and shift away from maize due to climate change impacts. Unfortunately, the increase in consumption is not commensurate to increase in crop productivity and land area. As a result, Kenya is compelled to import 90% of milled rice to cater for domestic demand. As a way to alleviate this, an imagination about increasing total land area under rice production to 10% of the total national arable land was considered in this study. A systematic review was conducted following thePRISMA guidelines. The aim of the review was to establish the suitability of different areas for rice production, possibilities of import substitution, increased production, impact of rice production on employment and the milling industry. Literature was accessed from various databases with only 26 studies selected for inclusion in the study. The study revealed that over 40% of the areas in Kenya are moderately suitable for rice production. Moderate areas yield 5.7% less than highly suitable areas. Allocating 10% of moderately suitable land to rice production has the potential of yielding 1,815,000 MT of rice annually. Rice imports can be fully substituted in the initial periods and more than a million jobs can be created. The Kenyan government should develop policies that would enhance the utilization of arable land to increase rice production.

This article assessed the changes in household consumption patterns due to COVID-19 interventions in Kenya. COVID-19 measures brought about several challenges globally. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted many elements of people's lives, including their financial well-being. Households had to adapt their buying patterns and food consumption patterns to cope with the new economic realities due to COVID-19 measures in Kenya, such as a ban on social gatherings, closure of institutions, and movement restrictions through lockdowns and curfews. The descriptive approach was used in the study, which used a cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire to collect data from 246 households. Results revealed that household intake of meat, dairy, fruits, snacks, and wheat products decreased significantly (p-values <0.001). Findings also demonstrated a substantial drop in the frequency of shopping for pre-packaged meals, snacks, and meat products (p-values <0.001) and a significant rise in the frequency of shopping for vegetables and wheat products (p-values <0.001) and fruits (p-values <0.05). This paper suggests that policies be designed to enable city dwellers to acquire, purchase, prepare, and consume food during a crisis to provide healthier and more sustainable consumption patterns.

Abstract GLOBAL Good Agricultural Practices (GLOBAL G.A.P.) standards have appeared to increasingly control the exchange of horticultural products in the international market. To make horticulture exports viable and lucrative, smallholder farmers need to invest in GLOBAL G.A.P. While research has focused on the impact of adoption on the welfare of farmers, the factors stimulating the adoption of these standards have been ignored. This study examines the determinants of the adoption of GGAPs (GLOBAL G.A.P.) among smallholder French bean producers in Murang’a South Sub-County. The study used cross-sectional data from a random sample of 215 farmers. The adoption index was used to determine adoption levels per household while a “gologit model” was applied to assess factors influencing the adoption of GGAPs among farmers. The adoption index results indicate that farmers on the contract had higher adoption levels (66%) relative to non-contracted farmers (34%). Based on the gologit findings, the determinants of farmer’s compliance levels were age (P < 0.01), gender (P < 0.1), education (P < 0.01), household size (P < 0.01), training (P < 0.01), extension service (P < 0.05), group membership (P < 0.05), farming experience (P < 0.05), vertical coordination options (VCO) (P < 0.1) and market availability(P < 0.01) and reliability (P < 0.05). Therefore, this study recommends an incentive that will promote the improvement of agricultural extension to facilitate contract farming for the adoption of GGAPs. Additionally, the government should put in place measures to safeguard farmers from market exploitation.

Youth make up the highest population in the world.The increase in global youth population has resulted to increased unemployment among the youth.Due to this, many youths have opted to explore business enterprises.Youthbased fruit agrienterprises are important in sustaining agricultural productivity.Entrepreneurial motivation has a significant role in enhancing the success of these agrienterprises.There are many factors that impact youth agrienterprises, therefore, it is important to understand these factors.While most researches have focused on external factors affecting agrienterprises, intrinsic factors which equally influence agrienterprises have not been exhaustively researched on.This study examined the effect of entrepreneurial motivation on psychological and social capital of youth-based climate smart fruit agrienterprises in Nakuru County.The study used a cross-sectional survey and multistage sampling method to select a sample of 260 youths.Structural Equation Model was used to determine the effects of entrepreneurial motivation on social capital and psychological capital.The results indicated that necessity motivation (P < 0.1, P < 0.002, P < 0.005, and P < 0.001), influenced cognitive social capital, relational social capital, self-confidence and resilience respectively.The results also revealed that opportunity motivation (P < 0.001) influenced cognitive social capital, relational social capital, hope, self-confidence, optimism and resilience.Similarly, opportunity motivation (P < 0.009) had an influence on structural social capital.The study recommends that psychological and social capital contents should be incorporated in entrepreneurial.

Rice millers access paddy through private traders, cooperatives, individual farmers, and village agents. These methods determine the capacity utilization of the mills, costs incurred, and profitability of the rice milling business. This article aimed at determining the effect of paddy sourcing methods on the volume of rice milled by small and medium-scale rice millers in Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to determine the sourcing methods used, combinations of sourcing methods, and effects of these combinations on the volume of rice milled. A multistage sampling technique resulted to a total of 160 millers comprised of 90 and 70 small and medium-scale rice millers respectively. A multinomial endogenous switching regression (MESR) was used to determine the resultant effects of paddy sourcing methods on volume of rice milled. Results: The results show that sourcing paddy directly from individual farmers, individual farmers bringing paddy to the miller, buying from traders and sourcing through agents are the four paddy-sourcing methods used by rice millers. Factors that influence utilization of a combination of sourcing methods are age of the miller, ownership of the miller, unit price of paddy, distance from the mills, ownership of the mills, degree of competition, contract agreements, access to information and finance. The highest volume of paddy sourced was achieved using a combination of three paddy sourcing methods: buying from traders, direct sourcing from individual farmers and individual farmers bringing paddy to the miller (B1D1I1A0). This combination increases volumes sourced by 114.1 %. This underscores the sole vitality of a myriad of factors in determining the choice of utilization of a combination of paddy sourcing methods. This study can influence decisions and rice milling related policy formulation towards a sustainable paddy sourcing mechanisms and consistent rice milling business.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption in healthcare delivery due to reductions in both health facility capacity and care-seeking behavior. For women experiencing obstetric complications, access to comprehensive emergency obstetric care is critical for maternal and child health. In Kenya, pandemic-related restrictions began in March 2020 and were compounded by a healthcare worker strike in December 2020. We examined medical record data at Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital, a large public hospital, and conducted staff interviews to understand how healthcare disruptions impacted care delivery and perinatal outcomes. Routinely collected data from all mother-baby dyads admitted to the Labor and Delivery Ward from January 2019 through March 2021 were included in interrupted time-series analyses. Outcomes included number of admissions and proportion of deliveries that resulted in caesarean sections and adverse birth outcomes. Interviews were conducted with nurses and medical officers to understand how the pandemic impacted clinical care. Pre-pandemic, the ward averaged 810 admissions/month, compared to 492 admissions/month post-pandemic (average monthly decrease: 24.9 admissions; 95% CI: -48.0, -1.8). The proportion of stillbirths increased 0.3% per month during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period (95% CI: 0.1, 0.4). No significant differences were seen in the proportion of other adverse obstetrical outcomes. Interview results suggested that pandemic-related disruptions included reduced access to surgical theaters and protective equipment, and absence of COVID-19 guidelines. While these disruptions were perceived as impacting care for high-risk pregnancies, providers believed that overall quality of care did not diminish during the pandemic. However, they expressed concern about a likely increase in at-home births. In conclusion, while the pandemic had minimal adverse impact on hospital-based obstetrical outcomes, it reduced the number of patients able to access care. Emergency preparedness guidelines and public health messaging promoting timely obstetrical care are needed to ensure continuation of services during future healthcare disruptions.

The focal point of this study was determining the effect of market orientation on farm performance as moderated by farmer resilience in the volatile dairy sector of an emerging country, Kenya. Using data from 682 respondents found in one of the vibrant dairy production counties in the country, Murang’a County, the study examined the interrelationships between market orientation, farmer resilience, and farm performance. Results from the analysis indicate a significant relationship between all the dimensions of market orientation (competitor orientation, customer orientation and inter-functional coordination) with both farmer resilience and farm performance with the exception of a non-significant relationship between customer orientation and farm performance. The significant relationship between inter-functional coordination and farm performance was the only one that displayed a negative correlation. The findings on the moderating effects of resilience on the market orientation-farm performance relationship report a positive significant effect. As this study represents the first effort to look into the linkages between the three concepts collectively, it provides important insight into the understanding the three concepts in the context of an emerging country.

Utilization of production and animal health services among smallholder dairy agripreneurs is crucial in enhancing their productivity and income levels. However, studies have documented low uptake of these services among smallholder dairy agripreneurs in Kenya. This study utilizes a choice experiment (CE) to determine dairy agripreneurs' preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for five attributes of production and animal health support services. Multistage sampling procedure was used to collect data from 682 dairy farmers in Murang'a County. Data were analysed using Random Parameter Logit (RPL)/Mixed Logit model. The results of CE reveal significant heterogeneity in preference among dairy agripreneurs. Dairy agripreneurs prefer to have group marketing services offered rather than selling on individual basis. They also prefer curative services rather than preventive services. In addition, dairy agripreneurs prefer use of artificial insemination in improving productivity of cows rather than using improved feeds such as hay and silage. The results further indicate that dairy agripreneurs have less preference for business plan training service. In relation to willingness to pay (WTP), dairy agripreneurs were more willing to pay for group marketing (KES 8797.91/month), artificial insemination (KES 2816.01/month) and curative services (KES 2577.62/month). Lastly, dairy agripreneurs were not willing to forgo KES 2411.29 per month for business plan training service. Service providers should consider the differences in preferences among dairy agripreneurs to increase the uptake of production and animal health services in dairy agrienterprises.

Utilization of agricultural technologies plays a crucial role in enhancing the productivity and income of smallholder dairy farmers. However, the uptake of these technologies is low among majority of smallholder farmers especially in developing countries. Using survey data from 682 households in Murang'a County in Kenya, this study examines determinants and intensity of use of artificial insemination, deworming, vaccination, curative treatment, improved feeds (hay, silage) and pregnancy diagnosis. We applied a multivariate probit model for the simultaneous multiple utilization decisions, and ordered probit models for assessing the intensity of utilization. The study results revealed that education level of household head, number of cows owned, livestock type, milk yield, land size, access to contract, price of milk, access to credit, access to business plan training, membership to dairy cooperatives, type of service providers, receiving of remittance, distance to veterinary and output market were the major factors that affect the likelihood of utilizing dairy agricultural technologies among smallholder farmers in Kenya. The intensity of utilizing dairy technologies was influenced by number of cows in the household, livestock type, land size, access to contract, access to credit, membership to dairy cooperatives and type of service providers. In conclusion, utilization of agricultural technologies is influenced by different household, farm, market and transaction cost characteristics, which could hinder or facilitate the uptake of these technologies. The findings will equip agricultural policy makers and agribusiness service providers in addressing the major barriers facing smallholder dairy farmers in making informed utilization decisions of dairy technologies.

Utilization of Porter's competitive strategies is considered a crucial tactic in enhancing the competitiveness of small-scale agro-dealers in developing countries. The dynamic nature of the agro-dealer business environment further necessitates the businesses to strategically align themselves for survival sustainability. Despite the many benefits attributed to the utilization of Porter's competitive strategies, there is limited empirical literature on the utilization of these strategies in agro-dealer enterprises in emerging economies. This study sought to analyze determinants of utilization of Porter's competitive strategies using multivariate probit regression model among agro-dealers in Nakuru County, Kenya. Data were collected from 110 businesses using semi-structured questionnaires. Results indicated that age, experience, group membership, education, ownership structure, engagement in other businesses, business age, competitive rivalry, product substitution, operational costs and branding statistically influenced the choice of competitive strategies. Proper policy frameworks geared towards operational costs reduction, educating and training agro-dealers on the maximum utilization of competitive strategies should be implemented.

The purpose of this article is to determine the effect of Information and communications technology (ICT) tools’ attributes in accessing technical, market and financial information among youthful dairy agripreneurs in Arumeru District, Tanzania. Data were collected through a standardized questionnaire from 347 farming households. Descriptive statistics and multivariate probit regression were used to analyze the data. The results of the study show that utilization of the various ICT tools (mobile phone, television (TV) and radio) is interrelated, whereas several factors, including extension contacts, installation of electricity, level of buyer trust, availability of market information and receiving of remittances, are found to affect the probability of ICT use. Findings also reveal that complementarity, accessibility, relevance and timeliness had a positive effect on ICT use, while the feedback attribute had a negative influence on ICT use. This finding underscores the need to consider ICT tools’ attributes when designing a sustainable ICT-based information delivery model for dairy youth agripreneurs. An understanding of actual users’ preference for ICT attributes can provide a blueprint for the ongoing ICT-based public- and private-sector initiatives that target youth-users more effectively.

Kenya is witnessing an immense increase in number of smallholder dairy agripreneurs sourcing income from the dairy sub-sector. Smallholder dairy agripreneurs who dominate the production sector are forced to sell milk to informal buyers such as middlemen/women, who exploit them by paying less than the market price. As a result of this, the Kenyan Government has made significant efforts to upgrade dairy cooperatives to link the dairy agripreneurs with consumers. In spite of this, milk marketing is still dominated by traditional informal outlets. This study sought to determine the effect of provision of agribusiness support services on choice of dairy cooperative market channel. Data were collected from a cross-sectional survey of 682 respondents from Muranga County in Kenya, using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results revealed that provision of business plan training, group marketing, pregnancy diagnosis and deworming support services had significant and positive effects on the choice of cooperative market channel. In contrast, access to vaccination services and supply of feeds had negative effectson the choice of cooperative market channel. This study recommends strong coordination among the agribusiness support service providers and the dairy cooperatives in order to increase adoption of the cooperative marketing channel. In addition, dairy cooperatives need to redesign their business models to ensure that their members not only receive agribusiness support services, but also get better prices and prompt payments to increase supply of milk to cooperatives by dairy agripreneurs.

This study sought to examine gender effect of entrepreneurial orientation on dairy farming career resilience in Kenya. Specifically, the study examined the moderating role of gender on the relationship between future orientation (FO), market orientation (MO), risk-taking orientation (RO), social orientation (SO) and entrepreneurial resilience of dairy agripreneurs in Kenya. We surveyed 682 respondents; 480 males and 202 female dairy agripreneurs in Murang’a County, Kenya using a cross-sectional study design. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaire using personal interview. Data were analysed using partial least square-structural equation modelling PLS-SEM and multi-group analysis (MGA). Results show significant gender differences across the agripreneurial orientations. The direct effects relationships indicate that future, market and risk-taking orientation of female agripreneurs had a positive and significant impact on agripreneurial resilience (AR). While, for male agripreneurs, future and market orientation had a positive and significant impact on AR; but social orientation had a negative impact on AR. Gender moderates the entrepreneurial orientation-agripreneurial career resilience relationship whereby female agripreneurs had statistically significant higher risk-taking propensity of (β = 0.189, p = 0.06) compared to their male counterparts (β = 0.054, p = 0.06).

Entrepreneurship training has been introduced in most Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in sub-Saharan Africa countries to enhance graduate self-employment. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of entrepreneurship training on Egerton University’s graduates’ intention to start a business. This study used the Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in a cross sectional survey, conducted during April to May, 2016. A sample of 341 business and non-business Egerton University graduates, enrolled from the year 2008 up to 2015 was used. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire through telephone and face-to-face interviews. They were analysed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and PLS Multi-Group Analysis (PLS-MGA). Findings revealed presence of a significant positive relationship between attitude toward entrepreneurship (b = 0.315, P=0.01), proactiveness (b = 0.042, P=0.01), risk-propensity (b = 0.11, P=0.01), and self-efficacy (b = 0.138, P=0.01) on graduates’ intention to start a business. Furthermore, multi-group analysis showed that the same four attributes significantly predicted entrepreneurship intention among business and non-business graduates to start businesses. Also, subjective norms significantly impacted entrepreneurial intentions of business graduates to start businesses. Finally, business graduates had significant higher scores than non-business graduatesin terms of self-efficacy (b = 0.182, P=0.03) and subjective norms (b = 0.329, P=0.04).