Freshly harvested beans.[Photo/Nuru international]
Egerton University has come up with new ways of ending perennial shortage and sky rocketing prices of maize in the country.
Through its constituent college, Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development (TIAPD), the institution of higher learning is urging farmers to embrace technology in order to boost maize production.
According to a research associate at the institute Eric Mukundi, farmers are encouraged to use improved seeds and fertilizer to address food security in the country.
He said TIAPD conducted a study seeking to establish the link between various indicators of food security and adoption of technology that has high probability of increasing household’s food availability and access.
“A three year panel data of 1800 maize growing households from Central and Western Kenya were used in the study. Findings indicate that adoption of improved seed is positive and highly correlated with adoption of improved fertilizer thus high yields,” he said.
Mukundi added that even without use of improved seed, use of organic fertilizer would lead to high yields.