1. UNDERSTANDING THE REASONS BEHIND RURAL YOUTH
MOVEMENT FROM RICE FARMING TO MOTORCYCLE BUSINESS
“BODA BODA”: MAUGO IRRIGATION SCHEME, HOMA BAY
SUB-COUNTY, KENYA
Presentation by Wycliffe ondoro
On
22nd
September 2014
short-distance
motorcycle based
transport business
(motorbike taxi)

2. Outline
1. Introduction:
• Maugo irrigation scheme: key stakeholders
• Problem and justification
1. Research objective and question
2. Research method and tools
3. Research findings
4. Conclusion
5. Recommendations
6. Acknowledgement

3. 1. Introduction
Over the past years, Kenya has
experienced an increased migration of
rural youth from their farm settlement to
the urban centres.
In Homa bay county, this movement
has contributed to decline rice
production associated to dysfunctional
Maugo rice cooperative and low
labour.
A number of stakeholders are operating
in the scheme with varying power &

4. Key stakeholders in Maugo irrigation scheme ( p. 2)
Figure 1: Power matrix of stakeholders in Maugo rice irrigation
project.
But what are the key players support amid problems
faced in the rice field?..

5. ..Problem
The movement of rural youth from rice farming to ‘boda
boda’ business leads to low labour in the rice field.
Figure 2: Problem visualization

6. ..Justification of the study
• Insufficient information on reasons why the rural
youth expected to seize opportunity in rice farming
are moving to other service sectors.

7. 2. Research objective and question
• To understand reasons contributing to rural youth
movement from rice farming to boda boda business.
Research question
• To answer, “What reasons contribute to rural youth
movement from rice farming to ‘boda boda’ business
in Maugo irrigation scheme?”
• Four aspects were considered
• Socio-economic characteristics
• Level of involvement
• Influencing factors
• Opinion & suggestions

8. 3. Research method & tools
• Case study as research
strategy and more of
qualitative method.
• Tools: Focus group
discussion (2), semi-
structured
questionnaires (32), key
informants (4) and old
farmers interviews (8)
Limitations:

9. Limitations of the study (p. 17)
Demonstration
Higher expectation from participants

10. 4. Research findings
• Socio-economic characteristics
• Gender & age: 88% men aged 20-35years
• Family status: 4 – 6 family members
• Marital status: all in rice farming were married
with 25% single from boda boda
• Years in village: over 90% have lived for between
10 – 15 years
• Education level: boda boda operators slightly
educated than rice farmers (see figure 4.2 & 4.3)

11. Findings cont..
• Level of involvement
• More women than men (table 4.1)
• Claim of older women involved
• Limited information
• Children involved in bird scaring
• Engaged in other activities but rice farming and
boda boda dominant respectively - quotes p. 27
Rice farmer Boda boda operator

12. Findings cont..
• Influencing factors
From respondents and pairwise ranking: lack of
credit, human disease, availability of certified seed
and fertilizer came forward as key.
Pull factors: quick money & brotherhood spirit

13. Findings cont..
Opinion & suggestions
• 70% acknowledge parents
occupation and opinion to
inform their choice
• 35% were positive on current
interventions
• More parents are engaged in
most of key stakeholders
activities
• All were for establishment of
revolving credit scheme &
tractor hire services
• Prevention of human
diseases.
Young farmers (from IICD, 2013)
Is this how policy view the youth? –quote p. 20

14. 5. Conclusion
• The study recognises
government efforts
particularly key
stakeholders
intervention in Maugo
irrigation scheme.
• However, concludes
that the movement of
rural youth is caused by
numerous reasons
which are complex.
• It is not only those
leading to low return
on investment but also
social and cultural
factors.

15. 6. Recommendations
• Partnership with other stakeholders like health ministry in
health & sanitation matters
• Strengthen group formation and instil brotherhood spirit in
the rice field
• Strengthening capacity of role model youth farmers
• Proper targeting and need assessment to the rural youth
• Introduction of other enterprises during the off-season
• Organize special tailor-made trainings on entrepreneurship
• Improved collaboration through harmonized work plans
among key stakeholders
• Establishment of tractor hire services and agro dealer outlet
in the area
• Improved rice value chain relation.

16. ..Areas for further study
• Human diseases in the scheme
• Involvement of rural youth by the stakeholders
• Information & communication technology

17. Acknowledgement

18. Asanteni sana
“Each generation will reap what the former generation
has sown.”
Thank you.