Determinants of maize production among small-scale farmers: A case study of Tigania West in Meru county, Kenya

Increase in demand for food for the world’s bulging population is one concept that needs to be addressed urgently. This thigh demand puts pressure on farmers to increase production in order to meet this rapidly growing food need. In all food security contemplations, maize stands at the top staple food for the Kenyan population. Against its importance in achieving Kenya’s Agenda 2030 on food security, its production keeps sinking posing a threat to the realization of this agenda. There has been especially a notable food deficit in Tigania west in Meru County which has been attributed to the low maize production. The purpose of this study was to analyze factors that are causing the rapid reduction in maize production. The specific objectives of the study were to determine the social economic, cultural, and climatic factors including agricultural extension service delivery influencing maize production in Tigania West. Quantitative data were used to establish the cause of effects collected using structured questionnaires from a sample population of 204 households. The results showed that the major factors that affected maize production in the area were: income, inadequate extension services, type of labour, land sizes and some farmers indicated that they could not afford improved planting seeds due to their low income. Majority of the farmers in the area were not conversant with the agricultural extension services being offered. The efforts of the officers in the agriculture department were also noted to be minimal. It is recommended that the extension department becomes more intentional to reach farmers to improve maize production in the area. The Government should address the lack of incentives for farming communities by improving access to credit and farm inputs. This could be enhanced by employing more extension service providers to disseminate agricultural knowledge to more farmers. Keywords: Agricultural Extension Service delivery, Kenya, Meru County, maize production