13th Annual International Management Conference Proceeding

Land
Land size and land fragmentation
This was found to be the major problem affecting agricultural output. The average household size was 7
persons while the average land holding is 2.5 acres of land per household according to 2002 National
Housing and Population census. The findings of the study however indicated that all households interviewed
own at least some pieces of land. The vital question was the size and quality of land. Out of the 200
respondents, 163 reported that the size of land was not enough for increased production. Because of limited
size of land, most farmers cannot enjoy the scale economies of production.
The problem of land size has been aggravated by land fragmentation. This refers to a situation where land
has been divided and sub – divided into smaller prices owing to the independence of married sons. The
findings indicate that out of 200 respondents, 152 indicated that they own more than one plots of land
detached from each other. It is this problem of land fragmentation that has limited the mechanical
transformation of agriculture. The problem of land fragmentation was found to be getting worse as families
expand in size. The problem of land size has its roots in the traditional systems of land transfer in which
boys are given parts of land after getting married. It should be noted that efforts to consolidate this land
most often becomes futile since under a traditional setting these fragmented plots of land fall under different
ownership.
Land quality
The problem of land size is aggravated by the quality of this land. A critical issue for small holders in the
Sub County is the shortage of good quality farming land. One hundred and seventy three (173) respondents
indicated that the quality was poor. The quality of land was found to be declining following the expansion
of most families that puts pressure on land. The quality of the farming land is also deteriorating because of
many factors. The traditional practice of cut and burn or shifting cultivation, which enables land to
regenerate, has declined owing to a weak male labour to perform the tasks of land clearing. This has sharply
reduced the capacity of the area to supply food to the neighboring towns.
Land Ownership
Under the traditional settings, land is owned by men who are the heads of households. Although this is
changing, it remains a problem in Nyakyera sub- county since men have to determine the allocation of land
and sometimes men have to rent out some plots of land to get money for drinking.
One hundred and two (102) respondents reported that land is owned by men while 92 said that land is
owned by the whole family members. Four (4) respondents were not sure of who exactly owns their land.
Whereas most women do not own land, it is important to note that they are most active members of the
family in agriculture. Men concentrate on light work such as clearing the bush and building perimeter fenced
around the gardens and looking after the goats. A positive relationship is expected between individual land
rights and productivity. Feeder (1988) hypothesized that increased individualization of rights improves a
farmer’s ability to reap returns from investments on land, resulting in greater demand for land improvements
and complementary inputs.
Labour
The average household size from sample was seven (7) persons but the average number of people involved in
day to day activities in agriculture was three (3). This according to the respondents is attributed to high
number of young people how spend most of their time in trading centers in hat has been termed as assumed
urbanization operating boda- boda but never bring money home. The skills of those who remain in rural
areas are very low
Skills
Most of the respondents rated themselves as semi-skilled due to lack of regular trainings and workshops.
It was further indicated that 172 respondents has not received any training in the last 2 years. Of all those
who had received some raining, 75 % indicated that this training had not increased their output.
Results showed that although there are trainings received by some farmers, there have been little changes in
the output level. Because of this, many are reluctant in attending seminars organized by District farmers’
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