Important Variables Influencing Milk Yields on Smallholder Farms in Western Kenya
Keywords:
smallholder farms, milk yields, important variables, pair-wise ranking, beta weights, product measure, multiple linear regressionAbstract
This study sought to assess the most important variables influencing milk yields on smallholder farms in Western Kenya, a region with persistent milk insufficiency. Four approaches were assessed on ranking of important variables: Use of farmer focus groups, key informant interviews (pair-wise ranking of variables), beta weights and Product measure (multiple linear regression). The findings showed that all the four methods produced different ranking order. Using a combined weighting system, the most important variables influencing milk yields on smallholder farms were found to be fodder; dairy meal, credit, Artificial insemination, improved research technologies, group membership, policy and economic returns. Collectively, they explained 63.9% of the variance in milk yields in the area (F8, 291= 65.089, p<0.001).We argue that a combined weighting approach appears to be a sharper ranking method in selecting important variables from many components in a value chain system.
References
De Maris A, Regression with social data: Modelling continuous and limited response variables. John Willey & Sons Inc. ISBN 0-471-22337-9, 2004.
Government of Kenya, Kenya Vision 2030. Nairobi: Ministry of state for planning, National Development and Vision 2030, 2007.
GTZ, Value links Manual: A Methodology of Value Chain Promotion. Revised ed. Eschborn: GTZ, Germany, 2008.
Hinkle DE, Wiersma W, Jurs SG, Applied statistics for the behavioural Sciences (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
Jaetzold R, Schmidt H, Hornet ZB, Shisanya CA, Farm management Handbook of Kenya. Natural conditions and farm information, vol 11/C, 2nd edn. Nairobi : Ministry of agriculture/GTZ, 2006.
Karanja AM, The Dairy Industry in Kenya: The Post-Liberalization Agenda. Tegemeo Institute/Egerton University Research paper. Nairobi, Kenya, 2003.
Krueger RA, Casey MA, Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research (3rd edn). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2000.
LeBreton JM, Ployhart RE, Ladd RT, “A Monte Carlo comparison of relative importance methodologiesâ€. Organizational Research Methods, 7(3), 258-282. Doi: 10.1177/1094428104266017, 2004.
Morgan DL, Focus Group Interviewing. In: Gubrium, J.F and Holstein J.S (Eds.), and Book of Interview Research: Context and method. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2002.
Mulwa FW, Participation and evaluation of community projects. Community based
project monitoring, qualitative impact assessment and people friendly evaluation methods.
Nairobi: Kijabe Printing Press, 2006.
Muriuki H, Omore A, Hooton N, Waithaka M, Ouma R, Staal SJ, Odhiambo P, The policy environment in the Kenya dairy sub-sector: A review, 2004.
Nathans LL, Oswald FL, Nimon K, “Interpreting Multiple Linear Regression: A Guidebook of Variable Importanceâ€, Practical Assessment Research & Evaluation, 17:9, 2012.
Ndambi OA, Hemme T, Latacz-Lohmann U, “Dairying in Africa - Status and recent developments. Livestock Production for Rural Development, 19 (8), 2007.
New Partnership for African Development, Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme. Rome: FAO, 2002.
Nimon K., Gavrilova M, Roberts JK, “Regression results in human resource development research: Are we reporting enough?†In C. Graham and K. Dirani (Eds.), Proceedings of the Human Resource Development 2010 International Conference (pp. 803-812), Knoxville, TN: AHRD, 2010.
Pedhazur EJ, Multiple regression in behavioural research: Explanation and prediction (3rd ed.). Stamford, CT: Thompson Learning, 1997.
Pratt JW, “Dividing the indivisible: Using simple symmetry to partition variance explained†In Pukkila T, Puntanen, S, (Eds.), Proceedings of the second international Tampere conference in statistics (pp. 245-260). Tampere, Finland: University of Tampere. 2010 International Conference (pp. 803-812), Knoxville, TN: AHRD, 1987.
Rich KM, Baker D, Negassa A, Ross-Brent R, “ Concepts, applications and extensions of value chain analysis to livestock systems in developing countriesâ€, Paper presented at the International Association of Agricultural economists, Beijing, China, 16-22 August, 2009.
Saunders M, Lewis P, Thornhill A, Research Methods for Business Students, 5th Edition, Harlow, England: FT Prentice Hall-Pearson Education Limited, 2009.
Staal SJ, Pratt AN, Jabbar M, Dairy Development for the Resource Poor Part 1: A Comparison of Dairy Policies and Development in South Asia and East Africa. PPLPI Working Paper No. 44-1 ILRI, 2008.
Tabachnick BG, Fidell LS, Using Multivariate Statistics (4th Edition), Boston: Allyn & Bacon Sydney, 2001
Trienekens JA, Agricultural Value Chains in Developing Countries: A Framework for Analysis, 2011.
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Sustainable Development Report. Addis Ababa: UNECA, 2007.
Waithaka AM, Wokabi A, Nyaganga J, Ouma E, De Wolf T, Biwott J, Staal SJ, Ojowi M, Ogidi R, Njarro I, Mudavadi P, Characterization of dairy systems in the Western Kenya region. The Smallholder Dairy (R&D) Project, 2002.
Wanjala SPO, Njehia B, Ngichabe C, “Assessment of the Structure and Performance of the Milk Market in Western Kenyaâ€, International Journal of Current Research, 6(3):5652-5656, 2014.
Werner J, Participatory development of agricultural innovations, procedures and methods of on-farm research. Eschborn: GTZ, Germany, 1993.
Zamykal D, Steele M, Kerr D, Chaseling J, Identifying Significant Contributors to Milk
Production in the Absence of the Herd Size Effect, James cooks university, Queensland, Australia, 2007.
Zientek LR, Thompson B, Commonality analysis: Partitioning variance to facilitate better understanding of data. Journal of Early Intervention, 28, 299-307. Doi: 10.1177/105381510602800405, 2006.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
- Papers must be submitted on the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis) and are not currently under consideration by another journal published by any other publisher.
- It is also the authors responsibility to ensure that the articles emanating from a particular source are submitted with the necessary approval.
- The authors warrant that the paper is original and that he/she is the author of the paper, except for material that is clearly identified as to its original source, with permission notices from the copyright owners where required.
- The authors ensure that all the references carefully and they are accurate in the text as well as in the list of references (and vice versa).
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
- The journal/publisher is not responsible for subsequent uses of the work. It is the author's responsibility to bring an infringement action if so desired by the author.
