Abstract

Najya Muhammeda, Geoffrey Kashindib, Halimu Shauric Suhaila Hashima and Joyce Maling

The study was to determine the effectiveness of value chain approach to upgrading the coconut subsector. Focus was on identification and assessment of farmer’s personal attributes influencing farmerto-farmer dissemination of market access and technology information. A baseline survey, preceding a participatory value chain analysis, involving 113 sampled households in Kilifi County was conducted. Data collected was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Tests on factors associated with farmer-to-farmer and processor-to-farmer dissemination of market access and technology information were done. Findings show that 88.5% of households were headed by male farmers with gender of household heads showing no significance in information dissemination on market access (p= 0.730) and market access and technology information (p= 0.574). Most farmers (63.6% males and 42.3% females) had secondary and above levels of education and were giving more market access and technology information than their counterparts. Statistical analysis also shows a difference in dissemination amongst farmers with different levels of education which was not significant (p=0.183). Processors with investment above average (37.2%) showed a tendency to disseminate information more than their counterparts but this was not significant for market access information (p=0.259) and market access and technology information (p=0.571).