CONTRIBUTIONS OF AGRICULTURAL IMPROVED TECHNOLOGIES TO RURAL POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: CASE OF IMAZAPYR-RESISTANT MAIZE IN WESTERN KENYA

Last two decades have been dominated by issues on poverty as major growth area with the adoption by United Nations member countries of the Millennium Development Goals, the first of which calls for halving the incidence of poverty and hunger by 2015, this has underlined the importance of introduction of improved agricultural technologies. Most poor rural households in developing countries usually depend on agriculture and have to cope with poverty stills a rural phenomenon. Agricultural production has continuously decreased, subject to serious limitations such as declining soil fertility, diseases, pests, drought and erosion plaguing crops growing areas. This situation should have encouraged rural households to increasingly consider the use of promising technologies. This study was done using a case of imazapyr-resistant maize (IRM) technology for combating noxious Striga weed which has devastating effects on maize production in western Kenya. A cross sectional survey that included randomly a total selected sample of 600 households of which 169 IRM users and 431 non-users was employed.IRM technology, striga control, poverty reduction, Kenya., Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,