ABOUT THE AUTHORS
John Mburu is the Chairman of the Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nairobi, Kenya. He holds a PhD and Master in Agricultural Economics from the University of Goettingen, Germany. He has worked for over 17 years in areas of participatory impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation, cost-benefit analysis, conservation of biodiversity and natural resources, markets and value chain analysis, climate change, cross border trade, microfinance, and commodity value chain analysis. He has widely published inthese areas. He is the Regional Chairman of the Pan African ConsultingConsortium and Institute and a member of the AAAE, IASC, ISEE and ASEE.
Stephen G. Mbogoh is an Agricultural Economist by profession and a University Professor. He is currently involved in teaching, research and supervision of both undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nairobi. He also consults widely in assignments relevant to his area of professional expertise. He is a holder of
Bachelor in Agriculture, Master and Doctoral in Agricultural Economics. He has over 40 years of professional experience in agricultural, livestock and resource development economics. He has published over 60 papers and scholarly articles in reputable peer-refereed journals and book chapters.
Jane L. Ambuko is an Associate Professor and Head of Horticulture Unit at the Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection, University of Nairobi. She holds a BSc in Agriculture, MSc in Horticulture from University of Nairobi (Kenya) and a PhD in Agricultural Sciences (Pomology and Postharvest Major) from Tsukuba University (Japan). Her area of specialisation is postharvest science and technology. She has published widely in internationally referred journals, received prestigious fellowships and is a member of several professional associations. She is a champion of Postharvest Loss Reduction aimed towards halving postharvest losses under Malabo Declaration (2014) and United Nation’s SDG 12.3.
Antony Bundi is a student researcher at the University of Nairobi, at the final stages of completing his Master’s in Agricultural and Applied Economics. He holds a Bachelor in Agribusiness Management (Kenyatta University). His research interests focus on technology adoption, commodity value chains, pre-and post-harvest management and impact studies. He is currently looking to finalise his studies and join the field of agricultural economics as a researcher and policy analyst.
How improper food harvest leads to wastage
Pre-harvest practices (PHPs) are key to sustainable mango farming, including their impact on fruit quality at harvest and post-harvest longevity. However, the adoption of these practices is still below the expected levels for optimal production. This paper analyses the determinants of the extent of adoption of PHPs using cross-sectional data collected in Embu and Machakos counties of Kenya. Multivariate probit and ordered probit models were applied. The results reveal that there are significant correlations among the PHPs. Further analysis shows that the probability of and the level of adoption of PHPs is influenced by region, years of experience in mango farming, off-farm income, mango sales, number of mango trees, access to inputs, and perceptions towards PHPs. These results indicate that policymakers and their development counterparts ought to strengthen farmers’ access to farm inputs and extension services, and address barriers to financial access to accelerate the adoption of PHPs.
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