Participatory Project Initiation and Performance of Mango Farming Projects in Makueni County, Kenya

Abstract

The successful implementation of many feasible and viable mango projects depended entirely on how they were initiated before the start of the planning phase of the project. Project initiation phase, being the first stage of the project management life cycle, is a ‘hard-nosed’ strategic fit raison detre, the main reason for justification that kick-starts or brings the project into existence. This article, extracted from the PhD thesis, presents the importance and worthwhileness of project initiation phase managerial framework, since it entails tentative groundwork project appraisals that come just before the project planning phase starts. In principle, project initiation begins the iterative sequencing of the project's core activities, before all other phases of the project begin. Project initiation phase, therefore, is not just a mere ‘tabula rasa’ clean slate, an empty project outlay template, since it entails scouting of project ideas, undertaking of feasibility studies to scan and appraise the unpredictable project environment. In addition, project funding sources, availability of appropriate technology and technical expertise are other key considerations for iterative activation. Furthermore, the start-up of the project implies much more microeconomic multiplier effect of the final return on investment of the project. The first phase of the project life cycle should include the project start-up iterations before the project enters the planning phase.  Many mango projects went directly into the planning phase without considering or even undertaking an initial project assessment to determine if they were technically feasible before proceeding with the project. The transition to the planning phase with no known initial project selection criteria of using project appraisal tools, revealed project trajectory dilemmas. The exact starting point of project life for activation of base assemblies due to its paramountcy principle, which scrutinizes the feasibility and viability status of the project, is completely lost. Had the project appraisal been conducted, it would have provided sufficient numerical data indicating whether the project was worth the effort to justify the deployment of human resources and planning. Planning for non-assessed projects that never reached the minimum screening threshold is a waste of time planning for scarce resources that should have been spent elsewhere. Planning, without an adequate investment analysis and without a business case, will amount to planning for failure, even before the consequences of the project begin to unravel. The objective of the study was to establish the influence of participatory project initiation on performance of mango farming projects in Makueni County, Kenya. The study had a sample size of 375 respondents selected from a population of 12,622 using a multistage sampling technique. Descriptive and Inferential statistics were used and F-test and Correlation were the main tools of data analysis. The null hypothesis tested, stated that, there was no significant relationship between participatory project initiation and performance of mango farming projects. The study findings depicted significant correlation between Participatory project initiation and mango performance at 95% confidence level, with results showing DF (2,367), F=12.23, t=1.821 at the level of significance P=0.000<0.05, r= 0.211 and R square= 0.044 and therefore the null hypothesis was rejected. Based on the findings, the study recommends projects to commence with project initiation to enhance mango performance.  The study will be beneficial to mango farmers and other stakeholders in highlighting the need to undertake adequate project initiation business case groundwork probe measures. In the long economic project run, the study revealed that mango project's success depended wholly on the way they were firstly initiated.

Keywords: Participatory Project Initiation, Performance, Project Management Life Cycle, Sequencing Project Iterative Activities, Project Feasibility Study and Viability, Scouting for Project Ideas, Project Appraisal and Selection Criteria

DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/14-6-04

Publication date:March 31^st 2022