PATRICK MAINA IRUNGU - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by PATRICK MAINA IRUNGU

Globally, arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) infections continue to pose a substantial threat to p... more Globally, arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) infections continue to pose a substantial threat to public health and economic development, especially in developing countries. Available evidence indicates that arboviral endemic countries stand to lose billions of dollars in national income to arboviral diseases (ADs) morbidity and mortality. In Kenya, although arboviral diseases (ADs) are largely endemic, little is known about the factors influencing rural households' knowledge, beliefs, and management (KBM) of ADs. This study employed a multivariate probit model to assess the knowledge gaps in managing ADs and the drivers of KBM using a sample of 629 respondents selected in Kenya's three ADs hotspot counties of Baringo, Kwale, and Kilifi. A multivariate fractional probit model was also used to assess factors influencing the intensity of KBM. The study found that less than a quarter of the respondents had any knowledge of and could not manage any three diseases. The multivariate probit model revealed that gender, religion, access to information, and asset ownership significantly influenced respondents' knowledge of ADs. On the other hand, respondents' beliefs and management of the diseases were influenced by access to information, income, education, and social capital. The results imply that strategies aimed at combating ADs should focus on public health education campaigns to mitigate behavioral barriers in AD management among rural communities in Kenya.

Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies

PurposeQatar, a wealthy country with an open economy has limited arable land. To meet its domesti... more PurposeQatar, a wealthy country with an open economy has limited arable land. To meet its domestic food demand, the country heavily relies on food imports. Additionally, the over three year-long economic embargo enforced by regional neighbors and the covariate shock of the COVID-19 pandemic have demonstrated the country's vulnerability to food insecurity and potential for structural breaks in macroeconomic data. The purpose of this paper is to examine short- and long-run determinants of Qatar's imports of aggregate food, meats, dairy and cereals in the presence of structural breaks.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use 24 years of food imports, gross domestic product (GDP) and consumer price index (CPI) data obtained from Qatar's Planning and Statistics Authority. They use the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) cointegration framework and Chambers and Pope's exact nonlinear aggregation approach.FindingsUnit root tests in the presence of structural breaks reve...

Economies

Faced with food supply disruptions due in part to geopolitics and political instability in its tr... more Faced with food supply disruptions due in part to geopolitics and political instability in its traditional food source markets in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Qatar—a wealthy, highly import-dependent open economy—plans to identify a set of alternative markets that can assure it of a stable food supply chain and food security. This study develops a set of preferences and import substitution elasticities for the country’s four most important food categories: meats, dairy, vegetables, and cereals. We used quarterly food import data from 2004 to 2017 and the Restricted Source-Differentiated Almost Ideal Demand System (RSDAIDS) to estimate import-substitution elasticities for meats, dairy, vegetables, and cereals imported by Qatar. Based on our findings, India, Australia, and the Netherlands emerged as Qatar’s most competitive sources of food, followed by Brazil, Jordan, and Argentina. Qatar can assure sustained demand for food imports from the aforementioned...

Heliyon, 2021

Market participation is critical to smallholder agricultural production because it stimulates inc... more Market participation is critical to smallholder agricultural production because it stimulates increased productivity and enhances poverty alleviation. Accessibility to high value markets and participation by small-scale mango farmers in these markets in Southern Ghana are low and have received little attention on both policy and academic fronts. This study analyzed the factors that drive smallholder farmers in Ghana to participate in high value mango markets in Southern Ghana. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select 224 mangoproducing households. A triple hurdle model was used in the study to capture a 3-step decision-making process. The results from the estimation of the triple hurdle model showed that participation in high value markets was influenced by education, household income, farming experience, ownership of a motorized transport (tricycle) and a radio, trust, distance to road, certification and access to credit. The level of participation in the export markets was determined by household size, household income, farming experience, distance to tarmacked roads and price. The study recommends intensive education and training to capacitate smallholder farmers to enable them to understand and meet the requirements of high value markets. Also, the farmers should be given access to credit and transaction-costs-reducing assets to enhance their participation in high value markets. Finally, certification should be duly encouraged among smallholder mango farmers to ease their access to and participation in high value mango markets.

In order to spread the proceeds of the mining sector, the government is aiming at diversifying in... more In order to spread the proceeds of the mining sector, the government is aiming at diversifying into agriculture, industry, manufacturing, services and tourism. In its rural poverty reduction strategies the government of Botswana (GoB) has identified the off-farm and non-farm as the leading activities in the rural economy. However, even with the policies and strategies the determinants of livelihood diversification activities have not been studied. There is therefore a gap in knowledge of the determinants of household choice of livelihood diversification activities in Chobe District. Thus, analysing the determinants of household choice of livelihood diversification activities in Chobe District was the purpose of this study. Primary data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. A sample of 195 households was collected from three villages (Mabele, Kavimba and Kachikau) in Chobe District. The three villages chosen were adjacent to Chobe National park. The data was analysed u...

Adoption and extensive use of agricultural innovations is seen as a key avenue for poverty reduct... more Adoption and extensive use of agricultural innovations is seen as a key avenue for poverty reduction and improved food and nutritional security in developing countries. This paper evaluated the impact of IPM strategy for mango fruit flies suppression on food security with the help of a two-wave panel household survey data collected in Machakos County in Kenya. Using a randomly selected sample of 600, a difference in difference was fitted to the data in order to assess the impact of IPM on food security. The results showed that on average, both IPM participants and non-participants were food secure as measured by per capita calorie intake and Household Dietary Diversity Index (HDDI). The difference in difference estimates indicated that fruit fly IPM had a positive impact on per capita calorie intake but no significant effect on HDDI. Other factors that had an effect on per capita calorie include level of farm income, access to extension services, wealth category and distance to agri...

Livestock production is a major livelihood source for a large proportion of the population in Ken... more Livestock production is a major livelihood source for a large proportion of the population in Kenya. However, its productivity is low partly due to the high incidence of disease. The presence of animal diseases reduces the efficiency of input use in production and also necessitates the use of antimicrobials such as antibiotics. Although there is wide use of antibiotics in livestock in Kenya, the motivations for antibiotic use as well as the use patterns are not well understood. Studies show that inappropriate use of antibiotics is a leading cause of antibiotic resistance which has important implications on human health. A proper understanding of the incentives that drive antibiotic use, therefore, is an important first step in developing effective policies and programs aimed at reducing misuse of veterinary drugs. This study analyzed the motivations for use of antibiotics in livestock production in Kenya. Sixty farmers – 20 farmers in each of three production systems (pigs, poultry ...

Seasonal fluctuations in forage availability in African drylands significantly affect the body co... more Seasonal fluctuations in forage availability in African drylands significantly affect the body condition of pastoral livestock. The result is lean animals that, besides falling short of market requirements, often fetch low prices for producers. In Kenya’s pastoral areas, stratified cattle production (SCP) systems in which animals are transferred from arid to semi-arid areas with better production conditions are emerging as an option to improve animal body condition prior to sale. These practices are gaining popularity against a backdrop of scarce information to guide both the development and up-scaling of the systems. Using qualitative data collected through face-to-face interviews, this study describes the existing forms of SCP, their driving factors and management practices for coping with production and market challenges. Results reveal three forms of SCP that involve fattening of Borana cattle, small East African Zebu and their crosses. The forms were practised by ranchers, trad...

This case study is taken from a pilot household survey investigating the cattle breeding practice... more This case study is taken from a pilot household survey investigating the cattle breeding practices of the Orma people in eastern Kenya. The case study combines questionnaire and quantitative measurement approaches to assess levels of milk production by village Orma Boran cattle and the extent to which these are surplus to the consumption needs of the household. It demonstrates the application of methods of regression analysis to compare associations in milk offtake with age of calf of cows kept in two separate village locations. Having explored graphically the nature of the relationships the case study shows how to fit separate regression lines for each location, firstly in parallel and secondly with different slopes. Reporting methods for the presentation of results of regression analysis are also illustrated. The results are then used together with data collected on average daily household consumption to assess the levels of surplus milk offtake available for sale by a household.

Mango (mangifera indica) has been recognized as a fruit of economic and nutritional importance to... more Mango (mangifera indica) has been recognized as a fruit of economic and nutritional importance to Kenyan large and small scale farmers. Production and marketing of this fruit is however, severely hampered by fruit fly infestation which causes enormous fruit losses and reduces access to export market due to quarantine restrictions imposed by importing countries. Control of this pest has been primarily dependent on chemical pesticide application, a strategy that has been shown to be ineffective due to the biological nature of the pest. This has led mango farmers to misuse pesticides through overdosing pesticide concentration, use of unrecommended pesticides brands and frequent spraying, all with the objective of increasing fruit fly control effectiveness. To respond to this pesticide ineffectiveness and overuse, the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) has developed and disseminated an integrated pest management package to reduce fruit fly infestation as well...

For a long time Kenya has demonstrated its desire to access lucrative export markets for its live... more For a long time Kenya has demonstrated its desire to access lucrative export markets for its livestock and livestock products. Although this desire matches the growing global demand for livestock products and increasing interest in livestock and livestock products from Kenya by livestock deficient countries, Kenya has not been able to meet the expressed demand. The reasons for this failure have not been sufficiently documented. Even when the information is available it is scattered in government and stakeholder documents and reports. Assembling such information would avail the tools needed to design goaloriented redressive packages to promote trade. This study used the value chain approach to document the factors that limit livestock export trade in Kenya. Questionnaire interviews were conducted with livestock producers (pastoralists & ranchers), traders, processors and importers. Pastoralists cited livestock diseases, poor roads and general insecurity as the main constraints to liv...

A 12-month field trial was conducted in two tsetse-infested areas of Kenya. The objective was to ... more A 12-month field trial was conducted in two tsetse-infested areas of Kenya. The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new tsetse repellent technology to control bovine trypanosomosis in smallholder nomadic herds. Six treatment herds were randomly selected in 6 villages in each of the two study sites. A control herd was purposively selected in each village to match the characteristics of the treatment herd in terms of size and grazing pattern. All cattle in the treatment herds were fitted with repellent dispensers around the neck. The 24 herds (comprising 12 control and 12 treatment herds) were monitored once monthly for the presence of trypanosomes using dark-ground microscopy. Positive cases were treated using diminazene aceturate (Veriben) at 7mg/kg body weight; negative cases with packed cell volume of 21% and below were similarly treated. Repellent dispensers were refilled once monthly while live weight and milk offtake were recorded once monthly and once weekly respe...

Poultry production is an important economic activity for smallholder farmers in Kenya. Commercial... more Poultry production is an important economic activity for smallholder farmers in Kenya. Commercial poultry farming in Kenyarelies heavily on veterinary inputs, key among them being antibiotics which develop resistance with improper use. Among the many interventions used in the past to curb the risk of antibiotic resistance in livestock in Kenya, there is none that has comprehensively addressed inappropriate use of antibiotics and the incentives driving their demand in the livestock industry. This study, therefore,characterized antibiotic use patterns in poultry production and assessed the responsiveness of antibiotic demand to factor and product price changes in Kiambu County of Kenya. The aim was to generate information which can be used to enrich policy design geared towards reducing the risk of antibiotic resistance in the livestock sector in Kenya. A sample of 238 commercial chicken farmers in Kiambu County was selected using a multistage sampling procedure.Primary data were coll...

A field trial was carried out in two endemic foci of animal trypanosomosis to assess the effectiv... more A field trial was carried out in two endemic foci of animal trypanosomosis to assess the effectiveness of a synthetic tsetse-repellent technology developed for the control of cattle trypanosomosis in Kenya. The trial was conducted over a period of 12 months that was preceded by a baseline period of 4 months. A sample size of 24 herds made up of 12 treatment and 12 control herds was used. The sample size was estimated assuming an • of 5 %, • of 20 %, intra-herd correlation coefficient of 0.4 and that the repellent technology, if effective, would reduce the incidence of trypanosomosis in treated herds by 50 % from the baseline level. The controls were selected purposefully to match the treatments in size and location. Trypanosome infections and tsetse challenge were monitored on monthly basis. Two variables were used to gauge the effectiveness of the repellent: the herdlevel trypanosomosis incidence and the rate of trypanocidal treatments administered by the recruited farmers. Trypano...

Globally, arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) infections continue to pose a substantial threat to p... more Globally, arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) infections continue to pose a substantial threat to public health and economic development, especially in developing countries. Available evidence indicates that arboviral endemic countries stand to lose billions of dollars in national income to arboviral diseases (ADs) morbidity and mortality. In Kenya, although arboviral diseases (ADs) are largely endemic, little is known about the factors influencing rural households' knowledge, beliefs, and management (KBM) of ADs. This study employed a multivariate probit model to assess the knowledge gaps in managing ADs and the drivers of KBM using a sample of 629 respondents selected in Kenya's three ADs hotspot counties of Baringo, Kwale, and Kilifi. A multivariate fractional probit model was also used to assess factors influencing the intensity of KBM. The study found that less than a quarter of the respondents had any knowledge of and could not manage any three diseases. The multivariate probit model revealed that gender, religion, access to information, and asset ownership significantly influenced respondents' knowledge of ADs. On the other hand, respondents' beliefs and management of the diseases were influenced by access to information, income, education, and social capital. The results imply that strategies aimed at combating ADs should focus on public health education campaigns to mitigate behavioral barriers in AD management among rural communities in Kenya.

Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies

PurposeQatar, a wealthy country with an open economy has limited arable land. To meet its domesti... more PurposeQatar, a wealthy country with an open economy has limited arable land. To meet its domestic food demand, the country heavily relies on food imports. Additionally, the over three year-long economic embargo enforced by regional neighbors and the covariate shock of the COVID-19 pandemic have demonstrated the country's vulnerability to food insecurity and potential for structural breaks in macroeconomic data. The purpose of this paper is to examine short- and long-run determinants of Qatar's imports of aggregate food, meats, dairy and cereals in the presence of structural breaks.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use 24 years of food imports, gross domestic product (GDP) and consumer price index (CPI) data obtained from Qatar's Planning and Statistics Authority. They use the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) cointegration framework and Chambers and Pope's exact nonlinear aggregation approach.FindingsUnit root tests in the presence of structural breaks reve...

Economies

Faced with food supply disruptions due in part to geopolitics and political instability in its tr... more Faced with food supply disruptions due in part to geopolitics and political instability in its traditional food source markets in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Qatar—a wealthy, highly import-dependent open economy—plans to identify a set of alternative markets that can assure it of a stable food supply chain and food security. This study develops a set of preferences and import substitution elasticities for the country’s four most important food categories: meats, dairy, vegetables, and cereals. We used quarterly food import data from 2004 to 2017 and the Restricted Source-Differentiated Almost Ideal Demand System (RSDAIDS) to estimate import-substitution elasticities for meats, dairy, vegetables, and cereals imported by Qatar. Based on our findings, India, Australia, and the Netherlands emerged as Qatar’s most competitive sources of food, followed by Brazil, Jordan, and Argentina. Qatar can assure sustained demand for food imports from the aforementioned...

Heliyon, 2021

Market participation is critical to smallholder agricultural production because it stimulates inc... more Market participation is critical to smallholder agricultural production because it stimulates increased productivity and enhances poverty alleviation. Accessibility to high value markets and participation by small-scale mango farmers in these markets in Southern Ghana are low and have received little attention on both policy and academic fronts. This study analyzed the factors that drive smallholder farmers in Ghana to participate in high value mango markets in Southern Ghana. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select 224 mangoproducing households. A triple hurdle model was used in the study to capture a 3-step decision-making process. The results from the estimation of the triple hurdle model showed that participation in high value markets was influenced by education, household income, farming experience, ownership of a motorized transport (tricycle) and a radio, trust, distance to road, certification and access to credit. The level of participation in the export markets was determined by household size, household income, farming experience, distance to tarmacked roads and price. The study recommends intensive education and training to capacitate smallholder farmers to enable them to understand and meet the requirements of high value markets. Also, the farmers should be given access to credit and transaction-costs-reducing assets to enhance their participation in high value markets. Finally, certification should be duly encouraged among smallholder mango farmers to ease their access to and participation in high value mango markets.

In order to spread the proceeds of the mining sector, the government is aiming at diversifying in... more In order to spread the proceeds of the mining sector, the government is aiming at diversifying into agriculture, industry, manufacturing, services and tourism. In its rural poverty reduction strategies the government of Botswana (GoB) has identified the off-farm and non-farm as the leading activities in the rural economy. However, even with the policies and strategies the determinants of livelihood diversification activities have not been studied. There is therefore a gap in knowledge of the determinants of household choice of livelihood diversification activities in Chobe District. Thus, analysing the determinants of household choice of livelihood diversification activities in Chobe District was the purpose of this study. Primary data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. A sample of 195 households was collected from three villages (Mabele, Kavimba and Kachikau) in Chobe District. The three villages chosen were adjacent to Chobe National park. The data was analysed u...

Adoption and extensive use of agricultural innovations is seen as a key avenue for poverty reduct... more Adoption and extensive use of agricultural innovations is seen as a key avenue for poverty reduction and improved food and nutritional security in developing countries. This paper evaluated the impact of IPM strategy for mango fruit flies suppression on food security with the help of a two-wave panel household survey data collected in Machakos County in Kenya. Using a randomly selected sample of 600, a difference in difference was fitted to the data in order to assess the impact of IPM on food security. The results showed that on average, both IPM participants and non-participants were food secure as measured by per capita calorie intake and Household Dietary Diversity Index (HDDI). The difference in difference estimates indicated that fruit fly IPM had a positive impact on per capita calorie intake but no significant effect on HDDI. Other factors that had an effect on per capita calorie include level of farm income, access to extension services, wealth category and distance to agri...

Livestock production is a major livelihood source for a large proportion of the population in Ken... more Livestock production is a major livelihood source for a large proportion of the population in Kenya. However, its productivity is low partly due to the high incidence of disease. The presence of animal diseases reduces the efficiency of input use in production and also necessitates the use of antimicrobials such as antibiotics. Although there is wide use of antibiotics in livestock in Kenya, the motivations for antibiotic use as well as the use patterns are not well understood. Studies show that inappropriate use of antibiotics is a leading cause of antibiotic resistance which has important implications on human health. A proper understanding of the incentives that drive antibiotic use, therefore, is an important first step in developing effective policies and programs aimed at reducing misuse of veterinary drugs. This study analyzed the motivations for use of antibiotics in livestock production in Kenya. Sixty farmers – 20 farmers in each of three production systems (pigs, poultry ...

Seasonal fluctuations in forage availability in African drylands significantly affect the body co... more Seasonal fluctuations in forage availability in African drylands significantly affect the body condition of pastoral livestock. The result is lean animals that, besides falling short of market requirements, often fetch low prices for producers. In Kenya’s pastoral areas, stratified cattle production (SCP) systems in which animals are transferred from arid to semi-arid areas with better production conditions are emerging as an option to improve animal body condition prior to sale. These practices are gaining popularity against a backdrop of scarce information to guide both the development and up-scaling of the systems. Using qualitative data collected through face-to-face interviews, this study describes the existing forms of SCP, their driving factors and management practices for coping with production and market challenges. Results reveal three forms of SCP that involve fattening of Borana cattle, small East African Zebu and their crosses. The forms were practised by ranchers, trad...

This case study is taken from a pilot household survey investigating the cattle breeding practice... more This case study is taken from a pilot household survey investigating the cattle breeding practices of the Orma people in eastern Kenya. The case study combines questionnaire and quantitative measurement approaches to assess levels of milk production by village Orma Boran cattle and the extent to which these are surplus to the consumption needs of the household. It demonstrates the application of methods of regression analysis to compare associations in milk offtake with age of calf of cows kept in two separate village locations. Having explored graphically the nature of the relationships the case study shows how to fit separate regression lines for each location, firstly in parallel and secondly with different slopes. Reporting methods for the presentation of results of regression analysis are also illustrated. The results are then used together with data collected on average daily household consumption to assess the levels of surplus milk offtake available for sale by a household.

Mango (mangifera indica) has been recognized as a fruit of economic and nutritional importance to... more Mango (mangifera indica) has been recognized as a fruit of economic and nutritional importance to Kenyan large and small scale farmers. Production and marketing of this fruit is however, severely hampered by fruit fly infestation which causes enormous fruit losses and reduces access to export market due to quarantine restrictions imposed by importing countries. Control of this pest has been primarily dependent on chemical pesticide application, a strategy that has been shown to be ineffective due to the biological nature of the pest. This has led mango farmers to misuse pesticides through overdosing pesticide concentration, use of unrecommended pesticides brands and frequent spraying, all with the objective of increasing fruit fly control effectiveness. To respond to this pesticide ineffectiveness and overuse, the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) has developed and disseminated an integrated pest management package to reduce fruit fly infestation as well...

For a long time Kenya has demonstrated its desire to access lucrative export markets for its live... more For a long time Kenya has demonstrated its desire to access lucrative export markets for its livestock and livestock products. Although this desire matches the growing global demand for livestock products and increasing interest in livestock and livestock products from Kenya by livestock deficient countries, Kenya has not been able to meet the expressed demand. The reasons for this failure have not been sufficiently documented. Even when the information is available it is scattered in government and stakeholder documents and reports. Assembling such information would avail the tools needed to design goaloriented redressive packages to promote trade. This study used the value chain approach to document the factors that limit livestock export trade in Kenya. Questionnaire interviews were conducted with livestock producers (pastoralists & ranchers), traders, processors and importers. Pastoralists cited livestock diseases, poor roads and general insecurity as the main constraints to liv...

A 12-month field trial was conducted in two tsetse-infested areas of Kenya. The objective was to ... more A 12-month field trial was conducted in two tsetse-infested areas of Kenya. The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new tsetse repellent technology to control bovine trypanosomosis in smallholder nomadic herds. Six treatment herds were randomly selected in 6 villages in each of the two study sites. A control herd was purposively selected in each village to match the characteristics of the treatment herd in terms of size and grazing pattern. All cattle in the treatment herds were fitted with repellent dispensers around the neck. The 24 herds (comprising 12 control and 12 treatment herds) were monitored once monthly for the presence of trypanosomes using dark-ground microscopy. Positive cases were treated using diminazene aceturate (Veriben) at 7mg/kg body weight; negative cases with packed cell volume of 21% and below were similarly treated. Repellent dispensers were refilled once monthly while live weight and milk offtake were recorded once monthly and once weekly respe...

Poultry production is an important economic activity for smallholder farmers in Kenya. Commercial... more Poultry production is an important economic activity for smallholder farmers in Kenya. Commercial poultry farming in Kenyarelies heavily on veterinary inputs, key among them being antibiotics which develop resistance with improper use. Among the many interventions used in the past to curb the risk of antibiotic resistance in livestock in Kenya, there is none that has comprehensively addressed inappropriate use of antibiotics and the incentives driving their demand in the livestock industry. This study, therefore,characterized antibiotic use patterns in poultry production and assessed the responsiveness of antibiotic demand to factor and product price changes in Kiambu County of Kenya. The aim was to generate information which can be used to enrich policy design geared towards reducing the risk of antibiotic resistance in the livestock sector in Kenya. A sample of 238 commercial chicken farmers in Kiambu County was selected using a multistage sampling procedure.Primary data were coll...

A field trial was carried out in two endemic foci of animal trypanosomosis to assess the effectiv... more A field trial was carried out in two endemic foci of animal trypanosomosis to assess the effectiveness of a synthetic tsetse-repellent technology developed for the control of cattle trypanosomosis in Kenya. The trial was conducted over a period of 12 months that was preceded by a baseline period of 4 months. A sample size of 24 herds made up of 12 treatment and 12 control herds was used. The sample size was estimated assuming an • of 5 %, • of 20 %, intra-herd correlation coefficient of 0.4 and that the repellent technology, if effective, would reduce the incidence of trypanosomosis in treated herds by 50 % from the baseline level. The controls were selected purposefully to match the treatments in size and location. Trypanosome infections and tsetse challenge were monitored on monthly basis. Two variables were used to gauge the effectiveness of the repellent: the herdlevel trypanosomosis incidence and the rate of trypanocidal treatments administered by the recruited farmers. Trypano...