Agricultural Technology and Sustainable Rural Livelihoods among Makueni County Residents, Kenya

Fridah Nyiva Mutui, Dr. Johnson Mavole, Mercy Wanza Kauti & Wilson Agembo.
The Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Kenya. jmavole@cuea.edu

Abstract: The main aim of this study was to investigate the influence of agricultural technology on the sustainable livelihoods among the rural residents of Makueni County, Kenya. The study sought to determine the adequacy and relevancy of technology on sustainable livelihoods among the rural of Makueni County. Descriptive survey design and mixed method for data collection were applied. The study targeted 362,105 people from two sub-counties from which a sample size of 100 was drawn made up of farmers and 10 agricultural field extension officers. The study used disproportionate stratified random sampling techniques to select the sample size (farmers) and purposive sampling technique to select the extension service providers. From the findings, majority of farmers had experienced change in weather pattern in the past 10 years of their farming. On the cross tabulation to establishing the relationship between the level of education and technology used to acquire information, it was concluded that most of farmers who used internet to get farm information had secondary and college/university education. It was recommended that the county government expand the market via value chain. The County Government ought to collaborate with NGOs for the purpose of supporting sustainable rural agriculture. Rural residents need to be educated on the value of resilient agricultural practices as an alternative to unsustainable livelihoods, while extension service providers needed financial assistance and build their capabilities via training to ensure they deliver effectively to the farmers.