Factors Affecting the Approbation Of
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Master’s Thesis 2020 30 ECTS Faculty of social sciences Department of International, Environment and Development studies (NORAGRIC) FACTORS AFFECTING THE APPROBATION OF HYDROPONICS FARMING AS A MEANS TO MITIGATE AND ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE AMONGST SMALL SCALE FARMERS, A CASE STUDY OF MERU COUNTY KENYA Fredrick Mwenda Mugambi MSc. International development studies FACTORS AFFECTING THE APPROBATION OF HYDROPONICS FARMING AS A MEANS TO MITIGATE AND ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE AMONGST SMALL SCALE FARMERS, A CASE STUDY OF MERU COUNTY KENYA Author, 2020 BY FREDRICK MWENDA MUGAMBI JUNE, 2020 i CREDIT PAGE The Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Noragric, is the International gateway for the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). Established in1986, Noragric’s contribution to international development lies in the interface between research, education (Bachelor, Master and PhD programmes) and assignments. The Noragric Master theses are the final theses submitted by students in order to fulfil the requirements under the Noragric Master programme “International Environmental Studies”, “International Development Studies” and “International Relations”. The findings in this thesis do not necessarily reflect the views of Noragric. Extracts from this publication may only be reproduced after prior consultation with the author and on condition that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation contact Noragric. © Fredrick Mwenda Mugambi, June 2020 [email protected] Noragric Department of International Environment and Development Studies The Faculty of Landscape and Society P.O. Box 5003 N-1432 Ås Norway Tel.: +47 67 23 00 00 Internet: https://www.nmbu.no/fakultet/landsam/institutt/noragric ii DECLARATION I, Fredrick Mwenda Mugambi, declare that this thesis is a result of my research investigations and findings. Sources of information other than my own have been acknowledged and a reference list has been appended. This work has not been previously submitted to any other university for award of any type of academic degree. Signature……………………………….. Oslo, 01.06.2020 iii DEDICATION Dedicated to my son Jayden Mutembei Mwenda who had to endure his formative years without the company of his father in the pursuit of higher education in a foreign land. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to acknowledge my deepest and heartfelt appreciation to the following for their immense support which contributed to the success of this research paper. Firstly, I want to thank the Almighty God for the gift of life and wisdom that has made me finalize and see the conclusion of this project. Secondly, I want to thank my academic Supervisor, Prof.Jens Aune, for offering me immeasurable guidance, contribution and support that enabled this research project to reach a successful end; without his guidance and constant probing, this project would not have succeeded. My sincere gratitude goes out to the over 230 hydroponic farmers in Meru county who freely and willingly accepted to participate in this study. They gave their time and valuable information without which this study could not have been possible. To the motor cycle taxi operators(Bodaboda) who ferried the data collection assistants in distributing the questionnaires, your service went a long way in making this study successful. I thank the data collection assistants who upon a short notice agreed to assist me reach the sampled respondents with the questionnaires and ensured that they were correctly filled out. Feel much appreciated. Finally, I acknowledge the support and understanding offered by my family and friends during the period of this research. To my Dad and Mum Mr. and Mrs. Luciano Mugambi who never skipped a day without checking on my progress through constant phone calls. Your encouragement and prayers saw me through the challenging moments to deliver on this work. To everyone who participated in one way or another, thank you. v ABBREVIATIONS FAO Food and Agriculture Organization KPHC Kenya Population and Housing Census NFT Nutrient Film Technique GOK Government of Kenya MOALF Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries KNBS Kenya National Bureau of Statistics KCIC Kenya Climate Innovation Center SRSWOR Simple Random Sampling without Replacement SRSWR Simple Random Sampling with Replacement FCRS Fixed Cost Random Sampling KES Kenyan Shillings USD United states dollar PVC Polyvinyl Chloride vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CREDIT PAGE ..................................................................................................................................... ii DECLARATION.................................................................................................................................. iii DEDICATION...................................................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................. v ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................................................................. vi LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................................. x LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................... xi ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................................... xii 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Problem statement ......................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Rationale ....................................................................................................................................... 5 1.3 Purpose of the study ...................................................................................................................... 6 1.4 Research objectives ....................................................................................................................... 6 1.5 Research questions ........................................................................................................................ 7 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................................ 8 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2 The definition hydroponics ........................................................................................................... 8 2.3 Historical background of hydroponics .......................................................................................... 9 2.4 Merits and demerits of hydroponics ............................................................................................ 13 2.4.3 Hydroponic techniques ........................................................................................................ 16 2.5 Solution culture technique .......................................................................................................... 16 2.6 Static solution culture ................................................................................................................. 16 2.7 The aeroponics systems .............................................................................................................. 17 2.8.1 The basic wick system ......................................................................................................... 17 2.8.2 Earth tainers ......................................................................................................................... 17 2.8.3 The raft system ..................................................................................................................... 17 2.8.4 Top feed drip system ............................................................................................................ 18 2.8.5 The nutrient film technique .................................................................................................. 20 2.8.6 Factors influencing hydroponics farming in Kenya ............................................................. 21 2.9 Adaptive factors of Meru County ........................................................................................... 23 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................... 26 vii 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 26 3.2 Research design .......................................................................................................................... 26 3.3 Research methodology ................................................................................................................ 28 3.4 Quantitative research method...................................................................................................... 29 3.5 Data collection (Quantitative method) ........................................................................................ 30 3.5.1 Self-administered questionnaires ........................................................................................