Socio-Economic Determinants of Livelihood Outcome Among Smallholder Coffee Farmers Participating in Mount Meru Coffee Project in Arumeru District

Abstract

While coffee agricultural projects are recognised to be the engine of growth of the economy, most smallholder coffee farmers in Arumeru District have low livelihood outcomes. The study aimed to examine the socioeconomic factors influencing the livelihood outcomes of smallholder farmers involved in the Mount Meru Coffee Project. A cross-sectional research design was adopted, utilising an exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach. A total of 155 smallholder coffee farmers were selected using simple random sampling. Qualitative data were examined through thematic content analysis, whereas quantitative data were assessed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics via a multiple regression model. The results indicated that age, livelihood diversification strategies, education, family size, membership in groups, participation in the Mount Meru Coffee Project, and land size were positively significant determinants of the household livelihood outcomes index at p<0.005 significance level. The study concludes that smallholder coffee farmers display variations in their socio-economic characteristics that affect their individual livelihood outcomes index. It is therefore recommended that local government authorities in Arumeru District should facilitate frequent meetings between smallholder coffee farmers to discuss issues emerging from their coffee production and come up with solutions to the constraints that are within their capacity. The Mount Meru Coffee project, in collaboration with the local government authorities, should promote the Mount Meru Coffee project model, as this model has proven to provide a better livelihood option than the other models adopted by smallholder coffee farmers.