Implication of Livestock Rearing on Advancing Household Food Security and Nutrition: A Study of Push-Pull Technology and Livestock Production

Abstract

Livestock rearing link to food security and nutrition is an important aspect to farmers and research institutions. Push-pull technology,an innovation at nternational Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), has been distinguished as an advocate to livestock growth and production. This Push-pull novelty follows a chain to income boost and household food purchase power. This study sought to establish the perfect link of Push-pull livestock production to an enhanced household food security and nutrition in a case-control study design, where non Push-pull was a control group. The study found that 31% of farmers interviewed were male and 69% were female, a reliability to the study. On number of livestock reared, cattle were 91 in PPT and 88 in NPPT, goats were 59 in PPT and 23 in NPPT, chicken were 526 in PPT and 610 in NPPT, sheep were 54 in PPT and 30 in NPPT and pigs were 26 in PPT and 24 in NPPT (where the n value was 50 households for both PPT and NPPT). Number of egg production was 71/day in PPT and 101/day in NPPT as milk production was 88.5 litres/day in PPT and 40.8 litres/day in NPPT. Income gains from livestock were Kshs. 225,000 in PPT and Kshs. 157,000 in NPPT in cattle which translated to Kshs. 49,000 in PPT and Kshs. 8,000 in NPPT for food purchases respectively.Cattle income had contributed majorly to food purchase. Out of 71 eggs laid in PPT, 54 eggs were consumed and out of 101 eggs laid in NPPT, 81 eggs were consumed within the households. Foods were bought in variety and classified on a household dietary diversity amework and presented on nutrient significance. Finally, the multiple linear regression had reflected several significance values at p ≤ 0.05 on livestock variables: PPT - 0.000, NPPT - 0.001 for cattle; PPT - 0.036, NPPT - 0.098 for chicken; PPT - 0.000, NPPT - 0.000 for sheep; PPT - 0.000, NPPT - 0.280 for pigs; PPT - 0.000 for eggs; and [PPT, NPPT] - 0.000 for milk. The study concluded that Push-pull in livestock production is efficient and has full aptitude to advance household food security and nutrition. It however recommends a study where equal number of livestock is used in both PPT and NPPT.