An Assessment of The Contribution of Monitoring and Evaluation in Improving Dairy Farming: A Case of the State Department for Livestock and Selected Farms in Nairobi County, Kenya.
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Date
2024
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Daystar University, School of Applied Human Sciences
Abstract
This study assessed the contribution of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) practices in enhancing dairy farming within Nairobi County, Kenya, focusing on the State Department for Livestock and selected dairy farms. An exploratory study design was employed to examine how M&E initiatives contributed to the improvement of dairy farming practices. The objectives of the study were to investigate the level of adoption of M&E as a tool of management for dairy farming in the select farms, to evaluate the role of M&E in informing policy on dairy farming formulated by the state department of livestock, to assess the role of M&E in informing daily management of dairy farming in selected farms in Nairobi County, and to establish the challenges that dairy farms face in the adoption and implementation of M&E as a tool of management. The research utilized theory of change and systems theory to describe the research problem in the study. The research utilized census and purposive sampling techniques to gather data from key stakeholders. Specifically, data were collected from 23 respondents within the State Department for Livestock and 5 KIs from prominent dairy farms in Nairobi County; Miare Dairy Farm (Mwiki), Makanga Dairy Farm (Kamulu), Karimi Dairy Farm (Kasarani), and Murati Dairy Farm (Kibra). Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 29, while qualitative data was classified into recurring themes and presented verbatim.
The findings revealed that the primary focuses of M&E in dairy farming were milk quantity (32.5%) and feed management (27.5%), indicating a strong emphasis on productivity and nutrition. The study highlighted the significant role of M&E in informing policy formulation, with 78.26% of respondents affirming that M&E adoption led to policy changes. However, challenges such as high initial costs and inadequate resources were identified as barriers to effective M&E implementation. These findings suggest the need for targeted interventions, such as capacity-building initiatives, resource allocation, and financial support, to overcome these barriers and enhance the adoption of M&E in the dairy farming sector.
The study showed that there is a solid level of M&E adoption in the dairy sector, that M&E is a crucial tool for policy formulation in the dairy sector, M&E is integral to enhancing the daily management of dairy farms. The beneficiaries of this study include policy makers, dairy farmers as well as other stakeholders in the dairy sector. Some of the recommendations include providing financial support to ease the cost burden, enhancing training and capacity building, improving technology adoption, and refining policies based on M&E data.
Description
MASTER OF ARTS in Monitoring and Evaluation
Keywords
Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) practices, Dairy farming, Theory of change and systems theory
Citation
Diru, D. (2024). An Assessment of The Contribution of Monitoring and Evaluation in Improving Dairy Farming: A Case of the State Department for Livestock and Selected Farms in Nairobi County, Kenya. Daystar University, School of Applied Human Sciences