Food security is the major outcome of irrigation development activities. However, this cannot be achieved without sustainable water resources management. With the increasing budgetary constraints in many developing countries, governments have recognized the need to delegate irrigation scheme management to Irrigation Water Users' Associations (IWUA's) as much as possible. Despite the majority of these associations being operational, the major challenge has been poor performance due to inadequate farmer participation. This study examines the factors which influence farmers' willingness to pay for irrigation water in a smallholder irrigation scheme in Kerio Valley Basin, Kenya. Using a multi-stage sampling method, a representative sample of 216 smallholder farmers from the Basin were interviewed. Results show that education level, access to training on irrigation, participation in construction of the irrigation system, crop income from irrigation and membership in IWUA significantly and positively influence farmers' decisions to pay for irrigation water. Distance to the water source reduces the willingness to pay for irrigation water. Differential pricing based on income levels of farmers, rather than uniform pricing is recommended. We further recommend formulation of policies to train farmers in water management and to support farmer participation in IWUA's.
Pollination plays a vital role in crop yield and quality and by extension food security. Approximately 75% of global food crops depend on pollination services. Forests are the primary habitats of natural pollinators and communities farming near them benefit from this valuable supporting service. This study estimated the economic value of crop pollination dependency on natural forests within Mau, Cherangany and Mount Elgon Water Towers using the Pollination Value Array Tool developed by Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). To determine the value of crop pollination on farmlands adjacent to the forests, a buffer zone of 5 km between the forest and the farms was developed using GIS. Using the developed maps, a list of pollination dependent crops grown within these zones was identified from the FAO tool. Crop production data were obtained from Ministry of Agriculture in all the Counties neighboring the three ecosystems. The crop data gathered include the quantity of crop harvested per season and the producer price in Ksh per metric ton. This data was entered into the Pollination value array tool which computes; the Total Economic Value of crop (TVC) and the Economic Value of Insect Pollinators (EVIP) using the Pollination Dependency Ratios (PDR) of the crops. The contributions of natural /insect pollinators to crop production in the Mau, Cherangany and Mt. Elgon were estimated at Ksh 314 million (12.7%), 67 million (9.7%) and 549 million (17.4%) respectively. The total economic value attributed to insect pollination in the three ecosystems amounted to Ksh 931million in 2015.
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