FACTORS INFLUENCING SUSTAINABILITY OF INTERNATIONAL LIVESTOCK RESEARCH INSTITUTE TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTED LIVESTOCK PROJECTS IN KISUMU COUNTY
Anne Wairimu Miki - Master of Science in Project Management, College of Human Resource Development, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
Dr. Assumpta Kagiri - Lecturer, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
Dr. Kinyanjui Ng’ang’a - Lecturer, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
ABSTRACT
This study focused and examined the factors influencing sustainability of International Livestock Research Institute technology supported livestock projects at the Kisumu County. A project can be considered as sustainable if its outcomes continue after the end of its funding. However, since the sustainability of project outcomes may be difficult to anticipate and to describe as most are not tangible and are difficult to see, this study focused on the sustainability of technologically supported livestock projects with respect to project stakeholders, project funding, project technology and project information. The main objective of this research was to establish the factors that influence sustainability of technology driven livestock projects in Kenya. This study examined the influence of project stakeholders, project funding, project technology and project information which have been selected as the objectives in the study of factors influencing sustainability of technology driven livestock projects in Kenya. Research questions were based on the four objectives of the study. Three theories relating to project sustainability which include Resource-Dependence Theory, Stakeholder Participation Theory, and Technology Acceptance Model would be explored. The study would however be grounded on the Technology Acceptance Model as it provides more insight on the factors influencing sustainability of technology driven projects. A conceptual framework was examined to establish the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. This study targeted 150 respondents and from this, stratified sampling technique was employed to select a sample size of 45 respondents whom the researcher sought information from. A pilot study was carried out to test the reliability and validity of the research instrument. Descriptive research design was used and a questionnaire used to gather primary data. The statistical tools of analysis that were used in this study are arithmetic mean and standard deviation. Data was analyzed by use of SPSS v 22.0 and presented in form of tables. From the data analysis, it was established that Project Stakeholders, Project Funding, Project Technology and Project Information influence the sustainability of technology driven projects but to varying extent. Although the four factors were found to influence the sustainability of technology driven projects, Project Technology was found to be the most influential with a mean score of 3.55. The study also found out that Project Information, Project Funding and Project Stakeholders influenced sustainability of technology driven projects to a greater extent with means of 3.527, 3.5093 and 3.4857 respectively. Given that the study focused only on the International Livestock Research Projects in Kisumu County, the results may not be applicable to all of Kenya projects. It is recommended that a study be done in various parts of the Country that would allow for broader generalization of findings. This study therefore suggests that another similar study could be carried out to investigate the factors influencing sustainability of technology driven projects in Kenya where various organizations can be involved across the 47 counties in Kenya.
