జర్నల్ ఆఫ్ అగ్రికల్చరల్ సైన్స్ అండ్ ఫుడ్ రీసెర్చ్
అందరికి ప్రవేశం

నైరూప్య

Structural Analysis of Social Networks Revealed by Small Holder Banana Farmers in Muranga County, Kenya

Kamau NJ, Margret WN and Hillary BK

Inequitable access to appropriate and sufficient information has been recognized as a major impediment to small holder agricultural commercialization in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Theoretical and empirical studies in economics and sociology argue that social networks are the most persuasive source of information about new products and resources, but governments in developing countries continue to rely on extension officers to communicate with farmers about new technologies. Social network analysis (SNA) methodology has been used to depict the structure of social interactions among small holder banana farmers in Murang’a. These are decisions such as where to get hybrid planting materials, best field management practices, when to harvest, where to sell and at what price to sell the output. The key assumption is that networks formed via social interactions have quantifiable benefits to the participating household and lead directly or indirectly to a higher level of wellbeing. Social networks are major forms of social capital given that it is a resource found in personal relationships maintained by households in the net that can influence production decisions and economic outcomes. The results of the study revealed that very few (11.43%) farmers obtained information about tissue-culture banana planting materials, or about the market, directly from agricultural extension officers. The study revealed that there are those actors in the network who are very crucial in the diffusion of information and resources. This is indicated by various degrees of centrality in the network. The prevalence of these social networks has a sustainable impact in supplementing the extension services in rural areas, therefore, improving the productivity as well as the welfare of the households and the overall society.