School of Co-operatives and Community Development (SCCD)

Impact of the Meru KOPIA project on poultry farmers’ income in Meru County, Kenya

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Impact of the Meru KOPIA project on poultry farmers’ income in Meru County, Kenya Ngare, Lucy; Gang, Kim Ji; Mugambi, David; M'Itonga, Julius; Musyimi, Scholastica Most farming households in Kenya keep indigenous chickens in scavenging systems characterized by low productivity. In response to this, the Korea Program on International Agriculture (KOPIA) center in Nairobi collaborated with the County Government of Meru to disseminate localized technologies and provide technical support to indigenous poultry farmers using the model village approach. The aim of this paper is to assess the impact of the project on participating poultry farmers’ income in Meru County, Kenya, as promoted by the KOPIA. Descriptive cross-sectional survey research was adopted to achieve the objectives of the paper. Data was collected from beneficiaries and a control group through a survey of 236 households using researcher-administered questionnaires sampled from a population of 400 farmers drawn from the 4 participating villages. The study was based on the rational choice theory. Propensity score matching was used to compute the average treatment effect on the treated. Using the nearest neighbor, caliper-based, and kernel-based matching methods, the results showed evidence that program beneficiaries increased their annual income from poultry production, ranging from Kshs 66,616 to 81,674. Being located in Mbaria, Ng’onyi, and Ntalami model villages, the number of livestock enterprises, the number of eggs sold, the number of hens sold, and egg production per hen influenced the impact of the project. The study recommends the establishment of more model villages so as to spread the benefits to a wider area. Future efforts should include addressing constraints in marketing and group cohesion so as to increase the benefits to the participating farmers. Assisting farmers to form a marketing cooperative will not only increase market participation but also benefit farmers from collective procurement of inputs as well as credit for enterprise expansion. A research article published in the African Journal of Empirical Research

Ride-Hailing Drivers' Preferences for Fairwork Principles of Satisfactory Working Conditions and Fair Pay-Profit Distribution and Willingness to Form and Join Worker-Platform Co-Operatives in Kenya

2024-10-31T00:00:00Z

Ride-Hailing Drivers' Preferences for Fairwork Principles of Satisfactory Working Conditions and Fair Pay-Profit Distribution and Willingness to Form and Join Worker-Platform Co-Operatives in Kenya Gicheru, Njoki Esther; Kiganane, Maina Lucy; Ochieno, Mark Jared Ride-hailing drivers (e-drivers) are among the platform workers who successfully embrace the worker-platform co-operative model's emergence to counter capitalistic ride-hailing platforms and their complex ecosystems, which align with fairwork principles of pay, condition, contracts and (platform) management. This study was conducted to determine the extent of ride-hailing drivers' preferences for satisfactory working conditions, fair pay-profit distribution and willingness to form and join worker-platform co-operatives in Kenya. The study was grounded in the social exchange theory, affective theory of social exchange, and utility theory. The researcher applied critical-realism research philosophy and multimethod research designs of discrete choice experiments and sequential explanatory mixed method research designs. Using the Yamane sampling formula, the study used quantitative data from 497 respondents from sampled 600 of the 20,000 e-drivers in the Nairobi Metropolitan Region. The quantitative data was analysed using multinominal logistic regression. Moreover, the study used qualitative data from 11 participants, which was analysed using thematic analysis. Results indicated that the two fairwork principles were statistically significant to e-drivers’ willingness to form and join worker-platform co-operatives. fair pay-profits distribution (FPD) principle, in particular, was a highly preferred fairwork principle in terms of e-drivers’ willingness to form and join the worker-platform co-operative model (Coeff=1.564, SE = 0.234, Z = 6.67, p< .001), compared to the satisfactory working conditions (SWC) principle (Coeff=0.783, SE = 0.156, Z = 5.012, p< .001). This study brings practical and theoretical contributions to improve the e-drivers’ benefits from the ride-hailing sector. Policymakers, promoters, and platform workers like e-drivers could understand how best to promote worker-platform co-operatives to succeed in the country’s societal context. A research article published in the journal of applied humanities and social Sciences

Ride-Hailing Drivers’ Preference for Fairwork Principles of Trustworthy Labour-Platform Management and Greater Worker-Autonomy and Willingness to Form and Join Worker-Platform Co-Operatives in Kenya

2024-03-11T00:00:00Z

Ride-Hailing Drivers’ Preference for Fairwork Principles of Trustworthy Labour-Platform Management and Greater Worker-Autonomy and Willingness to Form and Join Worker-Platform Co-Operatives in Kenya Gicheru, Njoki Esther; Kiganane, Maina Lucy; Matabi, Jared Mark Ochieno Ride-hailing worker-platform co-operatives had emerged as part of and for at least fairwork principles. Moreover, studies on e-drivers have recommended the formation of worker-platform co-operatives in Kenya. The actual worker-platform co-operatives by e-drivers are yet to be established. It was against this backdrop that a study was conducted to determine the extent of ride-hailing drivers’ preference for fairwork principles of trustworthy labour-platform management, greater worker-autonomy and willingness to form and join worker-platform co-operatives. The study was grounded in the social exchange theory, affective theory of social exchange, and utility theory. The researcher applied critical-realism research philosophy and multimethod research designs of discrete choice experiments and sequential explanatory mixed method research designs. Using the Yamane sampling formula, the study used quantitative data from 497 respondents from sampled 600 of the 20,000 e-drivers in the Nairobi Metropolitan Region. The quantitative data was analysed using multinominal logistic regression. Moreover, the study used qualitative data from 11 participants, analysed using thematic analysis. Results indicated that the two fairwork principles were statistically significant to e-drivers’ willingness to form and join worker-platform co-operatives. The trustworthy platform management (TPM) principle, in particular, was a highly preferred fairwork principle in terms of e-drivers’ willingness to form and join worker-platform co-operative model (Coeff=2.62; SE = 0.400, Z = 6.54, p< .001), compared to the greater worker-autonomy contract (GAC) principle (Coeff=1.565, SE = 0.202, Z = 7.74, p< .001). This study brings practical and theoretical contributions to improve the e-drivers’ benefits from the ride-hailing sector. Policymakers, promoters, and platform workers like e-drivers could understand how best to promote worker-platform co-operatives to succeed in the country’s societal context. A research article published in the Journal of Applied Humanities and Social Sciences

Support initiatives by agricultural cooperatives in facilitating women's recovery from the socio-economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in Kajiado county.

2024-12-01T00:00:00Z

Support initiatives by agricultural cooperatives in facilitating women's recovery from the socio-economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in Kajiado county. Munene, M. Cynthia; Waweru, M.Kennedy; Wambu, K Charles • This study investigated the impact of healthcare interventions by agricultural cooperatives on women's recovery during the post-COVID-19 period in Kajiado County, Kenya. It explored how agricultural cooperatives address women's recovery in the post-COVID-19 period in Kajiado County. It examined support initiatives for women's recovery, internal healthcare mechanisms targeting women, and cooperative-led interventions in post-COVID-19 recovery. Supported by Social Capital Theory and Empowerment theory, the study focused on Kajiado County. Kajiado County was selected for its cultural diversity and economic activities. Utilizing a mixed-methods research design, the study included a sample size of 373 respondents, members of agricultural cooperatives. The qualitative phase involved interviews and focus groups, while the quantitative data was collected using structured questionnaires. This study employed a combination of stratified random sampling and purposive sampling. Findings were presented through tables, aiming to inform government regulators in policy formulation. The study concluded that women have largely positive perceptions of the healthcare interventions offered by agricultural cooperatives. The findings also suggested a strong positive correlation between women's experiences with healthcare initiatives and their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The study further concluded that logistical and cultural barriers remain significant obstacles to women's access to healthcare services provided by agricultural cooperatives. Recommending that agricultural cooperatives must develop and implement robust communication strategies to bridge the gap between awareness and actual engagement in healthcare programs for women. The study encourages policymakers to work alongside cooperatives to broaden these programs, create accessible healthcare models that consider rural challenges, and overcome existing logistical and cultural obstacles. By building such collaborative frameworks, these efforts can enhance women's resilience, support sustainable recovery, and contribute to enduring improvements in community health and economic resilience in rural areas. A research article published in the International Journal of Research in Business & Social Science. Dec2024,(EBSCO host)