Assesment Of The Determinants Of Dairy Production By Small Holder Farmers In Kericho County, Bureti Sub County.

Abstract

Dairy farming is an important agricultural sector and highly enriched with agro-ecological, political and social dimensions. Much of this milk is produced by smallholder dairy farmers who account for 80% of the national milk production in Kenya. However, smallholder farmers fetch considerably low incomes. This study assessed the determinants of dairy production by smallholder farmers in Bureti sub-county. The study is guided by the following research objectives: To examine how accessibility to credit affect dairy production in Kericho county, to what extent does extension services influence dairy production in Kericho county, to analyze the relationship between breeds variability and dairy production in Kericho county. A descriptive research design was adopted with a target population of 150 dairy farmers. The study has a sample size of 96 respondents. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data on a drop and pick later basis. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS and presented in form of tables . The study established that insufficient credit accessibility, lack of agricultural extension services and poor dairy breeds hinders dairy farming activities. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the small scale farmers of Bureti county basing on different seven wards identified.