Factors Affecting the Performance of Small and Medium Scale Poultry Farming Enterprises in Karuri, Kenya

Abstract

The paper examined the performance of poultry production in independent farms in Karuri, Kenya. Poultry products are widely accepted in Kenya. The commercial poultry farming system started in 1980 but until now meat deficiency is 89.5%. In today’s Kenya Poultry farming, operate under various conditions and constrains, which stand on the way to the achievement of the enterprise, Commercial farming can be one of the possible solutions in this deficiency situation and due to its size poultry farmers neither has control over input factor costs or the prices at which it sells its output with the result that insufficient and high cost firms are forced out of the business. This study will explore ways of solving these constraints. With effective management, commercial farming system can be a mean to develop markets and to bring about the transfer of technical skill in a way of increasing productivity that is profitable for both the investors and farmers. The primary data were collected from 45 sample farms in Karuri, Kenya and analyzed using SPSS v.20. It was revealed in the present study that although the independent farmer was able to take advantage of the increase in the price of broilers in the market, resulting in a higher price per bird as compared with the commercial farmers, these farmers were faced by numerous challenges in their undertakings. The Government of Kenya should train poultry farmers in a systematic and continuous process in order for farmers to maintain quality products which can enable them fetch high prices. Farmers should also be assisted by the government through subsidies so as to ensure that they buy poultry feeds at a lower price and this will make overall prices of their products to be low to compete favorably in the market.