ISSN 2375-1231
African Journal of Crop Science ISSN 2375-1231 Vol. 3 (7), pp. 214-220, September, 2015. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
A study of farmers’ awareness of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L] Moench) and possibility of its use in Kenya
Imanyara D. Eldon, Aidan H.A and Vidyarthi B. Salim
Department of Crop Science, School of Agricultural and Agribusiness Studies, Kilifi, Kilifi County, Kenya
Accepted 16 March, 2015
Abstract
Studies on farmer’s perception of technologies constitute a useful link between both descriptive and prospective research lines. They generate information about the farmer and their socio-economic conditions that influence technology adoption. The area of study was Western and Coastal regions of Kenya. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select the farmers who were organized into groups. Descriptive and inferential statistical tests were used to analyze the data. It was observed that 72.9% of the respondents were male, 95.7% married and 46% had formal education. Most of the farmers (78.0%) cultivated below 2 acres of farmland. About 40% of the respondents were aware of existence of sweet sorghum varieties while 50% of them were aware of sweet sorghum processing technologies. Farmer’s inability to have contact with extension agents affected their perception and awareness of the technologies. Farmers appreciate the potential of sweet sorghum and existence of capacity for its exploitation.
Key words: Farmers, perception, potential, sweet sorghum.