- Aha! Moment
What are the barriers and enablers to the uptake of chisel ploughing?
Laura Schun, Marilyn Moin, Wanjiku Kiarie, Mellan Lilumbi, Wairimu Muthike
- August 28, 2025
- 10:58 am

BEHAVIORAL THEME
OVERVIEW
Climate change, poor soil structure, low rainfall, and even lower water retention in the semi-arid regions of Kenya continue to be issues that result in reduced crop yields. Further compounding this problem is the presence of hardpan—a compacted soil layer approximately 10 centimetres from the surface. In collaboration with FIPS, we explored the factors that affect the adoption of the chisel plough—a tool designed to penetrate deeper into the soil, breaking the hardpan, and allowing for better water retention in the semi-arid regions in Kenya.
THEMATIC AREAS
We conducted focus group discussions with both male and female smallholder farmers consisting of 55 farmers and 19 key informant interviews with stakeholders such as village based advisors (VBAs), tractor service providers (TSPs), agro-dealers, ward agricultural officers and government representatives.