Socio-Economic Barriers to Agricultural Research Results Uptake among Africas Rural Communities: A Case Study of Yatta Division, Machakos County, Kenya

Agriculture is the mainstay of development in most of the Africas rural communities. Agricultural research undertakings seek to increase existing knowledge and improve the livelihoods of the people. Sub Saharan region in Africa remains one of the poorest in the world with 40 % of the population living below the poverty line and one in every three people been malnourished despite the potential of agriculture to significantly reduce this poverty margins (Africa development Bank, 2011). According to the World Bank, (2010) Kenyas poverty status is no better with the poverty index ranging between 44 per cent - 46 per cent. Improvements in agriculture and agricultural technologies can play a crucial role in the development of Africas rural communities (FARA, 2006). This improvements will depend to a bigger extend on the production, dissemination and the utilization of agricultural research findings in a timely and appropriate manner (Huberman, 1990). The author concludes that timely and appropriate dissemination of agricultural research results is an integral component of any research undertaking. Therefore, the design of any research undertaking should understand the institutional as well as the socio-economic factors that may affect the dissemination of the research findings. The paper established that average farmer within the division was a female, who could not read and write, available agricultural research results were highly limited to only those services farmers can access with minimal income, Low level of awareness on agricultural research findings was a key barriers, since researchers and extension officers relied on a small spectrum of information dissemination tools/avenues.