Research on World Agricultural Economy

The Role of Farmers’ Social Networks in Adopting Climate Smart Agriculture: Case of Horticultural Farmers in Nyeri County, Kenya

Joram Ngugi Kamau

Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Management, Egerton University, Kenya

Ibrahim Nyariki Kiprop

Department of Agribusiness Management and Agricultural Education, Chuka University, Kenya

Geoffrey Kosgei Kipruto

Department of Agribusiness Management and Agricultural Education, Chuka University, Kenya

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36956/rwae.v1i1.241

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Abstract

This paper aimed at depicting how farmers use their informal networks to share information on climate smart agriculture especially on conservation agriculture. The study used social network analysis (SNA) in UCINET to depict the pattern of information sharing on conservation agriculture among individual farmers and farmers groups. The study identified the structural importance of various actors in the farmers’ social networks.Power and centrality measures of various farmers were identified. Values for ego betweenness, coordinator and gatekeeper brokerage roles were normalized so that differences in network sizes were accounted for. The study identified several farmers who were identified to be critical in information sharing among horticultural farmers in Nyeri County. Farmers’social networks were found to play a pivotal role in the dissemination of information with key farmers identified as central actors in the network.Social network theory examines social structure from the perspective that relationships between two parties or more are partly influenced by the external ties possessed by each other with the degree of influence varying among the actors. This research demonstrates the need for agricultural research institutions to identify and liaise with actors with high degree of centrality in the jurisdiction of information and resource dissemination to guarantee maximum adoption of new technologies by the target groups.

Keywords: Farmers’ social networks; Conservation agriculture; Centrality measures

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