Determinants of Simultaneous Use of Soil Fertility Information Sources among Smallholder Farmers in the Central Highlands of Kenya

Soil fertility decline is a significant drawback to food and nutritional security in sub-Saharan Africa. However, information and knowledge barriers seriously impede the adoption, effective use, and scaling up of soil fertility management innovations, especially by smallholder farmers who produce the bulk of the region's food needs. Apart from the knowledge that smallholder farmers seek soil fertility information from diverse sources, which they apply simultaneously, there is limited knowledge of farmers' information-seeking behaviour regarding which sources are used simultaneously and the factors influencing these choices. We employed a cross-sectional survey study design to determine the simultaneous use of soil fertility information sources of 400 smallholder farming households in the Central Highlands of Kenya. We analysed the data using descriptive statistics, principal component analysis (PCA), and a multivariate probit model. The PCA distinguished seven categories of information sources farmers use: local interpersonal, cosmopolite interpersonal, aggregative, print/demonstration, broadcast media, community-based, and progressive learning sources. The intensity of use revealed that most of the smallholders used soil fertility information sources simultaneously and primarily as complements. The determinants of simultaneous use of soil fertility information sources were farmer location, marital status, main occupation, age, farming experience, exposure to agricultural training, group membership, arable land and livestock units owned, soil fertility status, soil fertility change, and soil testing. This study's findings have implications for information dissemination strategies involving using multiple complementary sources of knowledge for improved soil health and productivity.

Automated summary

Soil fertility decline is a major barrier to food security in sub-Saharan Africa, especially for smallholder farmers. This study examines the simultaneous use of soil fertility information sources by 400 smallholder farming households in Kenya. The findings reveal that farmers use multiple sources of information, primarily as complements, and their choices are influenced by factors such as location, marital status, occupation, and farming experience. These findings have implications for information dissemination strategies to improve soil health and productivity.