This study was conducted with two objectives:
- to assess the opportunities and challenges for sugar beet cultivation and adoption in the Nyandarua district of Kenya
- to assess whether sugar beet adoption can offer an opportunity for escaping poverty for smallholder farmers in the district
The factors favoring sugar beet cultivation and adoption in the district include: adequate land area suitable for sugar beet cultivation and the high sugar beet yield that can be attained per unit suitable land area, farmers’ awareness of the positive aspects of sugar beet cultivation, and the willingness of many farmers to grow the sugar beet crop.
The sugar beet profit analysis showed that depending on the market price, sugar beet can potentially increase household net income. However, since the majority of households are in the low- and medium-income categories, for sugar beet to pull the smallholder farmers out of poverty, interventions from government and other stakeholders is of vital necessity.
The impact of sugar beet adoption and cultivation will vary from household to household. Alternative agriculture alone is therefore not a sufficient strategy to address the problems of poverty and unemployment. Any successful strategy to address these issues must be broad-based, and include alternative agriculture and other growth and development strategies.
