Factors Affecting Adoption of Integrated Pest Management Technologies by Smallholder Common Bean Farmers in Kenya: A Case Study of Machakos and Bungoma Counties

Abstract

Common Bean is an important pulse crop in Kenya. The yields of common beans in Kenya have been low and declining. The decline in Common Bean yields has been due to biotic and abiotic stresses. Research was carried out to determine factors that influenced the adoption of Integrated Pests and Disease Management technologies in Bungoma and Machakos counties, Kenya. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to randomly sample 502 smallholder farmers in Bungoma and Machakos counties. Primary data were collected from sampled farmers by carrying out face to face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Logistic regression using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 20 Software. Descriptive statistics results showed that farmers in the two study sites used both modern and indigenous technical knowledge (ITK) to control pests and diseases on their bean crops and produce. The Logistic regression results showed that five factors significantly influenced the choice of IPM technologies by farmers. These were: region, level of education of the household head, access to extension services, household food security status and availability of markets for beans.  Access to extension and region were highly significant at 1% significance level. To achieve high yields the factor that significantly increased adoption of IPM in bean production such as access to extension should be enhanced.