Adoption of Agricultural Water Management Practices among Smallholder Farmers in Rongai Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

Agricultural water management refers to the planning, development, distribution, and efficient use of water resources for agricultural purposes. Effective agricultural water management is vital for sustainable farming, especially in the face of climate change and increasing demand for food. It requires a combination of technological, ecological, and policy solutions tailored to specific regions and farming systems. Agricultural water management practices include rainwater harvesting, irrigation, soil moisture conservation, and use of drop resistant crops. Adoption of these practices can be affected by factors such as socio economic, institutional, environmental and cultural factors. This study examined the level of adoption of agricultural water management practices among smallholder farmers in Rongai Sub-county Kenya. Cross-sectional survey design was adopted, while proportionate and simple random sampling techniques were used to obtain the respondents. The accessible population was 6,230 smallholder farmers from the target population of 26,804 smallholder farmers in Rongai sub county Kenya. The study was done in August 2023 to November 2023 and included 120 smallholder farmers in Rongai Sub County. A questionnaire was used to collect data, while descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The findings of this study indicates that adoption of agricultural water management practices is low, being at 35.8% since 64.2% of the farmers did not adopt the practices. This low adoption may be associated with low income and lack of access to extension services in Rongai sub-county. The findings may help in improving adoption of agricultural water management by creating awareness about the practices, training smallholder farmers and advocating for supportive policies through collaborative engagement between local government and agricultural organizations.