Farmers’ Response to Organic and Inorganic Fertilizer Utilization on Maize Cropping Systems in Kisii County, Kenya

Abstract

Decline in soil fertility has been identified as a major factor hindering maize productivity globally; the majority of these soils are deficient in nitrogen, phosphorous and organic matters. Low maize productivity in Kenya is attributed to decline in soil fertility. Improving soil fertility is necessary to achieve sustainable maize productivity among small-scaled farmers. However, farmers’ response toward the application of fertilizers is not enough. This study sought to determine farmers’ response towards the usage of organic and inorganic fertilizer in maize cropping systems among the maize producers. A simple random sampling technique was employed to achieve a sample size of 246 respondents from accessible household population of 10,800 maize farmers. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data, which was then subjected to Microsoft Excel and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software (Version 20) for analysis. The findings indicated that, the mean age of the farming population was 42 years with an average farming experience of 18 years. Majority of the farmers had secondary education as their highest level of education. The findings revealed that 90.2% of the farmers use di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer; the findings further indicated that there was prolonged single use of DAP fertilizer in the same piece of land for a period of 6-10 years continuously. 84.1% of farmers applied inorganic fertilizer while 58.9% of the farmers used manure or manure and inorganic fertilizer. In terms of soil analysis and replenishment, the findings revealed that there was poor response towards soil testing and lime application. A further 94.7% of the farmers indicated they had never carried out soil testing in their farm while 92.3% of the farmers had not applied lime to normalize soil pH. Farmers in Kisii County need to seek for soil testing services as a guide to determine which fertilizer to be applied and use of lime if it is needed be as well as use of organic manure to improve soil properties and also make use of zero-tillage method of cultivation to allow soil nutrients built up. These recommendations will lead to an increase in production of maize to an optimal level in Kenya.