Factor Substitution in Integrated Maize-Dairy Farming System in Uasin Gishu District
Abstract
This study looked at the existence of jointedness in production, cost complementarity and factor substitution in small hold mixed maize and dairy production system. The smallholder farmers in UasinGishu County practise mixed dairy and maize farming as a strategy to mitigate against production risks. Maizeis a commercial crop whose price has been directed by the government rather than the market; dairy farming also faced market challenges with increasing imports due to inefficient pricing in the market. However, farmers allocate more land to maize farming than dairy. The study hypothesized that Maizewas found to be an increasing cost industry while dairy was a decreasing cost industry. Expansion of dairy farming enterprises would lead to cost reduction while expanding maize would increase the cost. The study thus recommended that farmers practise integrated mixed farming system due to cost complementarityand the government to facilitate access to credit for farmers access expensive farm inputs. In trying to shed light on this, a survey was carried out amongst mixed dairy and maize famers in UasinGishu County and the results showed The production of maize in UasinGishu County in Kenya These group of farmers rely much on subsidized maize production annually. They however allocate more land to maize than dairy. It has been observed that farmers in UasinGishu County allocate more land to maize farming than dairy farming. Culturally, most farmers who dot keep animals are considered poor and therefore dairy farming is an integral part of any farming practice in the region.
Collections
- Journal Articles (BE) [315]