Abstract:
We derive input demand functions for fertiliser and hybrid seed, testing for the
combined and separate effects of income from non-farm sources and agricultural
wage labour among smallholder maize farmers in Kenya. More income from offfarm
sources, and specifically non-farm sources, competes with maize intensification,
particularly in more productive areas where use rates are higher. In less productive areas, where households rely more on off-farm income and input use in maize is extremely low, agricultural wage labour reduces the likelihood that fertiliser is applied, but when used, has a positive effect on quantities purchased of both seed and fertiliser.
Keywords: fertiliser; hybrid maize; input intensification; Kenya; off-farm work.
