The Future of Smallholder Farming in Eastern Africa - Uganda ...

3.2 Data Needs and Sources
Data was collected on household characteristics (sex, age, level of education, occupation,
household income and size of household); land productivity (crop yields); environment
(cropping patterns, vegetation cover, environmental conservation methods and degree of
environmental degradation); land tenure (type and user’s right to sell land, designate heir
to the land, rent out the land); access to credit (source of credit and whether land title was
used as collateral); parcels of land owned; farm size; number of acres under maize; farm
inputs (fertilizer, pesticides, manure and seeds); land investments (trees planted, fencing,
ridges, water management structures, drainage, access roads, tree-stump removal,
terracing, drilling of boreholes); proportion of land cultivated; and functioning of the
inputs and produce markets.
The research team collected secondary data from various libraries, more so that for the
Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and the University of Nairobi. Some
of the information and publications were accessed through the Internet while others were
sourced from friends within the Public Service and Research Institutes. Some of the
unpublished materials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development;
Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife; and Ministry of Planning and
National Development were also screened and used. These materials were mainly used
for the literature review and for verification of the primary data.
The primary data was collected in Suba and Laikipia Districts using both quantitative and
qualitative techniques. Most of the quantitative data was collected using a detailed
questionnaire that was pre-tested during the reconnaissance study. A combination of
direct observation and informal interviews were also conducted to fill any gaps left by the
questionnaires and to verify the information provided.
3.3 Study Sites
The study was undertaken in Suba district in Nyanza Province and in Laikipia district in
Rift Valley Province (See Figure 4). The choice of these districts aimed at capturing as
much of geographical, ecological and cultural diversity.