The role of public bureaucracy in agricultural development in Kisumu District - western Kenya

This paper presents a partial analysis of data collected for a study examining the ways in which agricultural development is influenced by a public bureaucracy in particular as the latter (a) seeks to convey technical information to the rural farmer and (b) to supply him with goods and services intended to enhance his agricultural productivity. The paper discusses government policy on agricultural development and how it influences the distribution of resources and services both at the macro and micro levels. It describes, as a background to our present and future analyses, the research site, Kisumu district, highlighting relevant factors e.g. ecology, land utilisation, farm characteristics etc. It also describes the methodology which yielded our stratified farmer sample. The major finding from farmer responses on the distribution of goods and services comprising visits by agricultural staff to farmers, distribution of crop demonstration, loan distribution etc. is that they disproportionately benefit the better farmers. Further analysis is intended to focus not only on the role of the public bureaucracy in this skewed distribution but also to suggest possible organisational arrangements to reach the disadvantaged peasant farmer to stem urban migration and indirectly urban unemployment by broadening the scope of agricultural development.