Determinants of Credit Uptake Among Smallholder Improved Indigenous Chicken Farmers’ in Kenya

Abstract

Youth enterprise development fund has been applauded as a vehicle that enabled most youths in Kenya to venture into agricultural enterprises and hence creating employment opportunities. The fund provides financial resources enabling youth farmers to increase their production and productivity levels. Despite these benefits both adoption levels and factors influencing credit uptake from youth enterprise development fund among small holder improved indigenous chicken farmers is not known. The objectives of the study were to determine credit uptake levels and factors associated with its uptake by small holder improved indigenous chicken farmers. Multistage sampling technique was employed in to sample both credit and non credit beneficiaries. Both primary and secondary data were utilized in the study where primary data was collected by semi-structured questionnaire. Data analysis involved the use of both descriptive and inferential statistics. Binary logistic regression model was used to analyze quantitative data with the aid of STATA version 11.0 software. Results revealed that age, gender, household size, nature of business ownership, family labour and role in poultry value chain significantly influenced credit uptake by smallholder youth farmers. Policy should focus on these factors to enhance availability of funds and hence subsequent productivity in the chicken value chain.

Keywords: Indigenous chicken(IC), credit uptake, binary logit model.