Adoption of Calliandra Calothyrsus for Improved Dairy Production in Embu County, Kenya

Small-scale dairy production plays a significant role in food production and income generation in Embu County. However, dairy animals in the county rarely meet their full potential of milk production mainly due to inadequate fodder in terms of quantity and quality. Napier grass ( Pennisetum purpureum ) is the main feed for the animals. However, Napier grass is low in protein and produces little biomass during the dry season. Leguminous fodder trees including Calliandra calothyrsus are evergreen even during the dry season and have foliage rich in protein which can supplement the main diet of animals. This study was undertaken in Embu County in 2015 to assess adoption of Calliandra calothyrsus as a fodder. The study was conducted through a field survey using a structured questionnaire. The study involved interviewing 184 farmers, of which 124 were agroforestry farmers producing fodder trees and 60 non-fodder tree producing farmers. The results of the survey showed that 86% of the sampled farmers had adopted growing of Calliandra tree fodder. These farmers noted that the tree had multiple benefits that included; increased and improved dairy milk production from cows and goats as indicated by about 92% of the farmers, and improved quality of manure (84%). Age, gender, years in education and land size was the key socio-economic factors influencing adoption of Calliandra. Calliandra calothyrsus is an important fodder tree in Embu County contributing to; increased and improved milk production, providing food supplement for other livestock enterprises, of soil and improved quality of manure. 124 farmers planting and using fodder plants and 60 non-adopters. The data was entered and analysed using SPSS statistical software. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the benefits accruing from growing of fodder trees s, the household and land characteristics influencing adoption. To determine the factors influencing the adoption of fodder technologies the logistic regression model was applied.

examine the benefits of adopting fodder agroforestry practices. The objectives of this study were to; assess the benefits of fodder technology, determine factors influencing its uptake, identify constraints and the most efficient technology dissemination pathways.

MATERIALS AND METHODS 2.1 Study Site
Embu County covers an area of 2,818 square km with a population density of 183 people per square km. In addition, the county receives a bimodal rainfall pattern, with the peak rainfall occurring between March and June, and short rainfall between October and November. On average the rainfall ranges between 1,200-1,500 mm annually. Temperatures range from a minimum of 16°C to a maximum of 23°C. The main cash crops grown were coffee and tea, while food crops were maize and beans. Dairy farming is a major activity in the county.
The study was carried out in Embu County in the eastern region of Kenya formerly known as Eastern Province ( Figure.

Data collection and analysis
Data was collected in 2015 from farmers who adopted the technology and non-adopters residing within the areas where Calliandra was introduced. A structured questionnaire was administered to 124 farmers planting and using fodder plants and 60 non-adopters. The data was entered and analysed using SPSS statistical software. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the benefits accruing from growing of fodder trees s, the household and land characteristics influencing adoption. To determine the factors influencing the adoption of fodder technologies the logistic regression model was applied.

Socio economic and demographic characteristics
The study findings revealed that the initial project farmers and adopters were relatively older with mean ages of 62 and 60 years respectively as compared with non-adopters who were much younger with a mean age of 58 years (Table I). Land size varied with the original farmers having the largest farm size with a mean of 2.4 acres; adopters had a mean land size of 2 acres while non-adopters had the smallest landholding with a mean of 1.2 acres.  (Table II). Among the adopters, 84.1% were male while 15.9% were female. While in the non-adopters category 88.3% were male and 11.7% were female.

Fodder utilization and benefits
The study showed that the number of households who had adopted the fodder technology utilised it under various livestock enterprises within the farm. Calliandra calothyrsus was the most adopted and utilised shrub in the farm with a majority of the farmers utilising it in all the livestock enterprises followed by Morus alba (Table  V).  Goats  56  2  0  1  3  1  63  Poultry  38  0  0  2  1  0  41  Beef cattle  30  0  0  1  0  0  32  Rabbits  20  0  0  0  1  0  21  Sheep  18  0  0  1  1  0  20  Bees  7  0  0  0  0  0  7  Fish  3  0  0  0  0  0  3  Pigs  2  0 0 0 0 0 2 Fodder trees have multiple benefits to the farming system. The benefits included; increased and improved milk production from dairy cows and goats as noted by 92% of the farmers, improved quality of manure (84%) and increased egg production (84.6%). Other benefits that accrued to the household included improved quantity and quality of; beef (100%), fish (100%), maize beans (97.2%), rabbits (100%) and honey (84.6%) as illustrated in Table VI.

Adoption of agroforestry technologies
The rate of adoption of fodder technologies was determined by the number of sampled farmers who allocated or planted the fodder trees on their farms and utilising them for various uses. From the study, 86% of the sampled 29 farmers had adopted the technology. Further analysis to determine the number of adopters who had disseminated the technology to other farmers was undertaken. From the analysis, original project farmers had disseminated the technology to more farmers as compared to the adopters (Table VII).

Determinants of agroforestry fodder technology adoption
Various socio-economic factors influence technology adoption and uptake among farmers. Logistic regression was performed to ascertain the effects of gender, age, the level of education, the major source of income, primary source of expenditure, land ownership, land size, and land tenure, and farm gradient on the likelihood of adoption of fodder technology. The results from the regression analysis (Table VIII) indicate that the model was statistically significant, χ 2 (3)=16.661, P-Value<0.0005. The model explained 31.0% (Nagelkerke R 2 ) of the variance in the adoption of agroforestry technologies. Socio-economic factors; age, gender, years in education, and land size influenced adoption of agroforestry techniques. The likelihood to adopt was positively related to age. The number of years in education had a positive influence.

Discussion
The findings indicate older farmers were more receptive to the fodder technology than young ones. This can be attributed to the fact that the calliandra project may have targeted the older farmers. However, age may constrain the adoption of fodder technologies since older farmers may not be enthusiastic to plant trees whose benefits are not immediate (Jera and Ajayi, 2008). Land size had a positive influence on adoption of agroforestry practices. Gender analysis indicates that male dominated female counterparts in the adoption of fodder technologies. The difference can be attributed to the fact that unlike men, women in majority of Kenyan communities have neither right to own agricultural production resources especially land nor power to make major decisions regarding agricultural productions and this renders women unable to acquire and use new agricultural technologies. The findings concur with that of Masuki et al. (2003). The low percentage of farmers with tertiary education can be attributed to the fact that farmers tend to engage in off-farm activities as education level increases (Akkaya et al., 2007). Findings of the study agreed with Boateng (2008), who found that high level of literacy would result in an increase in technical efficiency and decreased conservationism among farmers. The study revealed that Calliandra calothrysus has multiple benefits and has improved the livelihoods of the farmers.

CONCLUSION
The findings of this study indicate that majority of the older farmers had adopted the growing of fodder trees as they owned the land. Farmers with larger farm sizes adopted the technology. The technology is providing multiple benefits to the farmers and the farming system. The study recommended that farmers should continue adopting fodder technologies for improved livelihoods.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We are indebted to KEFRI for the financial support in carrying out this study. Enumerators who collected the data are also highly acknowledged. Finally, we wish to sincerely thank all the farmers who answered our questions during the survey.