Abstract
Vegetable production plays a vital role in enhancing nutrition and generating income in Kenya, where it is an important component of the agricultural sector. Among the most widely grown vegetables are cruciferous crops, while traditional African vegetables have increasingly gained prominence in recent years. Smallholder farmers account for more than 70% of the country’s total vegetable production. However, they face various complex factors such as extreme climate variability, invertebrate pests, and diseases which reduce productivity, yields and household incomes. They, therefore, often resort to the overuse of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that could increase their susceptibility to pest resistance, declining soil fertility, and production risks. Agroecological cropping systems have been shown to improve soil fertility, suppress pests, and support sustainable livelihoods in Kenya. Nevertheless, despite their potential benefits, the adoption of agroecological cropping systems remains low. Therefore, this study aims to empirically analyze the factors influencing smallholder farmers’ adoption of selected agroecological vegetable cropping systems in Kenya. This study utilized a multistage sampling approach to gather cross-sectional data from 546 farmers cultivating cruciferous and traditional African vegetables in Kiambu and Murang’a counties. The sample size was determined using the specified sampling methodology. The agroecological vegetable cropping systems examined in this study included mixed cropping, strip cropping, row intercropping, border cropping, and crop rotation. Data was analyzed using a multivariate probit regression model. The findings indicated that adoption decisions were multivariate and interdependent across agroecological cropping systems. Household head gender, plot manager gender, and access to extension services had varying positive and negative impacts on the adoption of agroecological cropping systems. In addition, the occupation of the household head and income from non-vegetable farming activities was positively associated with adoption, while gross income derived from vegetable production was negatively associated with the adoption of some cropping systems. These findings highlight the need to strengthen agricultural extension services, promote gender-responsive farmer training, improve access to market opportunities, and support income diversification initiatives to enhance the adoption of agroecological vegetable cropping systems among smallholder farmers.