The nexus between tea growing and food security among smallholder tea farmers in Bomet County, Kenya

Abstract

Tea growing among smallholders‘ tea farmers plays a very important role as far as food security is concerned. However, records indicated that smallholders‘ tea farmers in Bomet County experience food shortage every year. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the situation of food security among smallholder tea farmers in Bomet County, Kenya. The study objectives included: to examine the influence of assets on food security among smallholder tea farmers in Bomet County, to determine the effect of tea factory management on food security among smallholder tea farmers in Bomet County and to assess the impact of smallholder tea farmers activities in Bomet County on food security. The study was guided by Entitlement Theory and Sustainable Livelihood Theory. This study adopted pragmatism paradigm approach. The study employed mixed approach embracing exploratory and explanatory research designs. Target population was 16,572 tea farmers. Multi-stage, purposive and random sampling techniques were used to select a sample size of 391. Instruments of data collection included questionnaires, key informants‘ interviews, focus group discussions and non-participant observations. The reliability of the instrument was tested through the use of the Cronbach Alpha value. Quantitative data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 26. Descriptive statistics included percentages, frequencies, mean and standard deviation. Inferentially, correlation was used to determine relationship between independent and dependent variables while multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis and presented in form of verbatim reports. The study findings revealed that there was negative linear influence of assets on food security (β 1 =-.266, p=0.000). It was further established that tea factory management has a negative and significant influence on food security (β 2 =-.353, p=0.035). Finally, smallholder tea farmers activities were found to have a negative and significant influence on food security (β 3 =-.334, p=0.001). The study findings from interviews revealed that there is food insecurity among smallholder tea farmers characterized by shortage of food, unsuitability of food and diet. The study concluded that assets such as natural, physical, human, financial and social capital has led to food insecurity among smallholder tea farmers. The tea factory management has reduced tea prices making the farmers to get small amount of money to buy food hence leading to food insecurity. Tea farmers‘ activities such as planting trees in the farms, using children to pluck tea and using all lands on tea plantation hence relying on tea income to buy foodstuffs leading to food insecurity. The study recommends that small scale tea farmers need to change their economic practices through adoption of modern methods of farming such as irrigation. For the effective management of food insecurity in Bomet, the stakeholders (farmer organisation, farmers, NGOs and external assistance) of food security should increase their efforts in areas of scientific food research and in policy values that govern food security in the county. Diversified methods of farming will address the problem of food insecurity.