Driving transformation: the role of institutions in shaping ecological farming adoption in Kiambu County, Kenya

Institutions promote ecological farming through various interventions. However, there is a dearth of thorough empirical research on which institutional interventions influence the adoption intensity of ecological farming. Therefore, this paper aims to fill this gap by determining the role of institutional intervention in the adoption intensity of ecological farming in Kiambu County. We used cross-sectional survey data obtained from a multi-staged sample of 320 households. The data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires and analysed using a generalised Poisson regression model. Based on inferential statistics at a significant level of p ≤ 0.05, the results revealed that access to eco-friendly markets, training, information sources, and extension contacts increased the likelihood of a farmer adopting ecological farming practices at a higher intensity by 50.1 per cent, 50.9 per cent, 4.3 per cent, and 38.7 per cent, respectively. This study recommends policy interventions to promote multi-stakeholder partnerships to develop eco-friendly markets and enhance knowledge dissemination through extension services and training forums for farmers.