African Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development ISSN: 2141-5091 Vol. 2 (1), pp. 104-111, March, 2014. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Fostering collective action at landscape level: Success factors of smallholder innovation platforms in the Eastern Highlands of Kenya and Uganda

^1*Verrah Akinyi Otiende, ¹Joseph Tanui Kibet, ²Anthony Gachuhi Waititu, ¹Mieke Sophia Bourne, ¹Jeremias Gasper Mowo

¹World Agro forestry Centre (ICRAF) Eastern and Southern Africa Region (ESA) UN Avenue, Gigiri, P. O. Box 30677 – 00100 Nairobi, Kenya.

²Senior Lecturer Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) Statistics and Actuarial Sciences Juja P. O. Box 62000 – 00200 Nairobi, Kenya.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Tel. +254724506942

Accepted 14 January, 2014

Abstract

Strong and vibrant smallholder groups provide opportunities to the community to play a role in rural development and benefit from it. However, most of those groups do not have the capacity to individually influence rural development. Bringing groups together facilitates access to combined knowledge and leverages complementary assets. This study identifies factors influencing the success of two smallholder innovation platforms in Embu and Kapchorwa. A five-level likert scale survey questionnaire was administered to 68 groups from the two platforms that had experienced significant development in their group's capacity as a result of these platforms. Principal component analysis was used to extract indicators defining dimensions used to measure the success of these platforms. Multiple regression analysis was used to fit the model of successful linkages. The results indicate that ownership, motivation and leaders commitment skills and motives play critical roles in the success and sustainability of smallholder innovation platforms.

Key words: Success factors, smallholder innovation platforms, collective action, rural development, East Africa.