Browsing by Author "Ndirangu, Samuel N."
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Publication Effects of Land Fragmentation on Food Security in Three Agro-ecological Zones of Embu County in Kenya(Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology, 2017-08-02) Ndirangu, Samuel N.; Mbogoh, Stephen G.; Mbatia, O. L. E.Land fragmentation is a common agricultural phenomenon in many countries where a single largefarm is subdivided into a large number of separate small land plots. This paper is based on a studythat was carried out to evaluate the impact of land fragmentation on food security in three agroecologicalzones (AEZs) of Embu County in Kenya from January to November 2016. The studyused data collected from 384 farm-households that were randomly selected from three AEZs in theEmbu County, using the 4-stage cluster sampling method. The AEZs were the Sunflower-CottonZone, the Coffee Zone and the Tea Zone, based on the official AEZs classification system in Kenya.Household caloric acquisition method was used to compute a household food security index (HFSI)that was used to measure the household food security status. The effect of farm size on foodsecurity was evaluated using the Binary Logit Regression method. The results showed that theaverage number of people in a household was 3.73 in the Tea Zone, 3.59 in the Coffee Zone and3.93 in the Sunflower Zone, and that farm size had a positive and significant effect on food securityin the Sunflower (P=.029) and Tea zones (P=.007), but not in the Coffee Zone (P=.365). Further, itwas found that the minimum farm-size that could ensure the attainment of the minimum (cut-off)point for household food security (HFSI = 1) was above 2 ha in the Sunflower Zone and 0.5 ha inthe Tea Zone. Based on the study findings, it is recommended that further fragmentation of farmsbelow 0.5 ha in the Coffee and Tea zones and 2 ha in the Sunflower Zone should be discouraged toensure sustainable food security in the study area. For the farms that are already below theminimum cut-off size for food security, measures to increase these farms’ productivities so that theycan support more people per ha should be devised and implemented.Publication Effects of Land Fragmentation on Food Security in Three Agro-ecological Zones of Embu County in Kenya(Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology, 2017) Ndirangu, Samuel N.; Mbogoh, Stephen G.; Mbatia, O. L. E.Land fragmentation is a common agricultural phenomenon in many countries where a single largefarm is subdivided into a large number of separate small land plots. This paper is based on a studythat was carried out to evaluate the impact of land fragmentation on food security in three agroecologicalzones (AEZs) of Embu County in Kenya from January to November 2016. The studyused data collected from 384 farm-households that were randomly selected from three AEZs in theEmbu County, using the 4-stage cluster sampling method. The AEZs were the Sunflower-CottonZone, the Coffee Zone and the Tea Zone, based on the official AEZs classification system in Kenya.Household caloric acquisition method was used to compute a household food security index (HFSI)that was used to measure the household food security status. The effect of farm size on foodsecurity was evaluated using the Binary Logit Regression method. The results showed that theaverage number of people in a household was 3.73 in the Tea Zone, 3.59 in the Coffee Zone and3.93 in the Sunflower Zone, and that farm size had a positive and significant effect on food securityin the Sunflower (P=.029) and Tea zones (P=.007), but not in the Coffee Zone (P=.365). Further, itwas found that the minimum farm-size that could ensure the attainment of the minimum (cut-off)point for household food security (HFSI = 1) was above 2 ha in the Sunflower Zone and 0.5 ha inthe Tea Zone. Based on the study findings, it is recommended that further fragmentation of farmsbelow 0.5 ha in the Coffee and Tea zones and 2 ha in the Sunflower Zone should be discouraged toensure sustainable food security in the study area. For the farms that are already below theminimum cut-off size for food security, measures to increase these farms’ productivities so that theycan support more people per ha should be devised and implemented.Publication Performance of a Flexible PV Film Technology as an Auxiliary Energy Source in a Solar-Electric Hybrid Greenhouse Dryer(Journal of Sustainable Research in Engineering, 2022-03-14) Ndirangu, Samuel N.; Kanali, Christopher L.; Ronoh, Erick K.; Langat, Victor K.; Roskilly, Anthony P.; Royapoor, Mohammad; Laidler, PaulSolar drying is an economical way to preserve agricultural produce. The intermittent nature of solar radiation necessitates use of backup energy for improved airflow rates and to supply heat during periods of low solar radiation. This study evaluated the performance of low-cost, flexible and lightweight solar PV film developed by Power Roll Limited (UK) for food drying application. Two tests were conducted (Trial 1: with fans only on; Trial 2: with fans and electric heater on) using a forced convection solar-electric hybrid greenhouse dryer at no load (empty drying beds). Test results shows that for Trial 1 the PV was able to run throughout the day, while Trial 2 the system run for 6 hours. Further, about 95% of the PV load power was used to run the fans, with the two fans using 144.1 ± 3.0 W and the maximum fan cumulative power was 961 Wh for Trial 1. For Trial 2, the PV load (1510-1524 W) was higher than the PV charge rate (304-694 W), hence the PV power declined to 30%. Further analysis showed that dryer temperatures increased by 5.05oC at a radiation of 800 W/m2 due to the heater. The results on drying of African nightshade (Solanum scabrum) indicated this 5.05oC temperature increase realized through the backup off-grid PV system improves drying substantially. The cost benefit analysis shows that usage of the PV system led to energy saving of about US$ 1.6 from 8.5 kWh of energy used within the 6 hours of PV system deployment.