Determinants of soil testing decisions among smallholder maize farmers in western Kenya

Abstract

Depletion of soil fertility over time remains a major challenge limiting agricultural productivity in Kenya, particularly for maize, the country’s staple crop. Despite the novelty of soil testing in enhancing agricultural productivity, adoption remains limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the factors influencing smallholder maize farmers’ decision to conduct soil testing in western Kenya. The study used descriptive statistics to summarize the data, and a logistic regression model on a sample of 1,592 to evaluate the determinants of soil testing among farmers. Descriptive statistics show that less than 8% of farmers had conducted soil tests on their farms, and about 7% knew where to obtain soil testing services. The logistic results show that access to extension services ( p  < 0.01), age of the household head ( p  < 0.01), group membership ( p  < 0.01), farmers’ awareness about where to obtain soil testing services ( p  < 0.05), land size ( p  < 0.05), perceived fertility of the soil ( p  < 0.05), economically active household members ( p  < 0.10) are statistically significant in influencing the decision to conduct soil testing. This study recommends promoting access to soil testing services and enhancing farmer awareness through targeted communication strategies to increase soil testing.