EFFECT OF FARM SUCCESSION ON COFFEE PRODUCTION IN KISII COUNTY KENYA

Abstract

Coffee is the world’s most consumed drink next to water and second most traded commodity to oil. It is fourth GDP earner and employs 600,000 households in Kenya. Coffee production is dependent on various aspects of agronomic practices and farm succession. However, little information exists on the effect of farm succession on coffee production. Coffee farmers are elderly (Average 55 years), and reluctant to release coffee farms to the new generation, leading to reduced adoption of new technologies and reduced coffee production from 130,000 MT in 1989 to 50,000 MT in 2012 despite its profitability and opportunity of expansion. The objective of the research study was to establish the effect of farm succession on coffee production in Kisii County. Simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were employed to obtain quantitative and qualitative data using structured questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussion and case studies on a sample of 227 respondents from a population of 69,000 coffee farmers. Research data were analyzed using descriptive and Pearson correlation statistics at 5% significance level, with aid of SPSS and Microsoft excel programs and results reported using tables, charts and descriptions. The research findings indicated a weak significant correlation between farm succession and coffee production, P>0.05, average production of 1.77 kilograms of cherry and standard deviation of 3.23. The research findings are aimed at filling policy gaps by encouraging agricultural extension practitioners to encourage the youth to participate in coffee farming and encourage the elderly farmers to mentor the youth to take up farming. The coffee farmers need to be encouraged to widen the choice of farm successors beyond family members and beyond gender imbalance in order to encourage spurring of coffee production, thus increasing production and profitability.