Family Support and the Development of Fish Farming in Busia County

Mugah Michael Sitawa*, Dickson Ombaka, PhD and Parvin Moloo, PhD Department of Sociology, School of Arts and Humanities, Kenyatta University, Kenya. *Corresponding author: michael.sitawa@gmail.com

Received September 20, 2018; Revised October 16, 2018; Accepted January 25, 2019

Abstract: Fish farming has and continues to play a vital role in improving nutrition and creating employment. The sociological aspects manifest in the household as well as the community were the centre of focus in the study aimed at establishing the households and group networks in the development of fish farming in Busia County. It sought to assess the importance of family support to the development of fish farming. The rational choice theory as propounded by George Homans (1961) was used to explain the sociological relevance of the study. The survey research design that is cross-sectional in nature was used. The target population was that of farmers who were actively involved in fish farming as well as a number who through their own initiative, ventured into the enterprise. Eight key informants were selected for the study. This study used a mixed-methods approach. The main statistical test that was used was Chi-square goodness-of-fit. The findings of the study revealed that a majority of the farmers realized a growth on their fish farms. The study findings also revealed that family support was a significant component in the development of fish farming in Busia County. The study recommended that key components on conflict resolution and functionality should be included in the training, to be applied at family level. This would enhance the synergy and efficient functioning of the families as sociological units in the optimal development of the sector.