Commercial Rabbit Farming and Poverty in Urban and Peri-Urban Kenya

Abstract

Research has shown that agricultural commercialization is an effective way of boosting farmers' welfare. Is this true for urban or peri-urban farmers? We attempt to answer this question by assessing the effects of rabbit commercialization on multidimensional poverty among urban farmers in Kenya. While previous studies have analyzed commercialization in terms of crops, small livestock such as rabbit has received little attention. Additionally, most studies use income to capture poverty without considering other deprivations such as education, health and living standards. Here, we assess the effect of rabbit commercialization on multidimensional poverty among urban and peri-urban farmers. Data from 260 respondents is used. Findings show that rabbit commercialization is associated with a decrease in multidimensional poverty among urban and peri-urban farmers. This means that rabbit commercialization has a potential of improving living standards of urban poor. Other findings show that multidimensional poverty is positively associated with increase in education, access to credit, and reduced family sizes. Policy implication of our findings is that there is need to focus on promotion of commercialization among smallholder urban farmers through expansion of microfinance sector among urban dwellers to reduce financial market failures caused by inadequate access to financial services. Additionally, we recommend the promotion of training programs in different sectors such as rabbit farming. Urban dwellers with large households to be empowered to ensure all household members participate in income generating activities such as rabbit farming and commercialization.