| Sumario: | This baseline study assessed the implementation of the Warehouse Receipt System (WRS) and its influence on
agricultural sustainability and financial inclusion among 200 smallholder farmers cultivating maize and soybean
in Uasin Gishu and Bungoma counties, Kenya. The study focused on storage practices, WRS awareness and use,
post-harvest losses, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) adoption, financial behaviour, and digital access. Results
indicate stark contrasts between the two counties in terms of WRS awareness, adoption of CSA practices, digital
literacy, and access to credit. WRS awareness stood at 37% in Uasin Gishu but was considerably lower in Bungoma
(3.8% among maize farmers and 8.1% among soybean farmers). Despite this low awareness, willingness to adopt
agriGHALA and CSA was notably high: 77% in Uasin Gishu, 46.2% in Bungoma maize, and 97.3% in Bungoma soybean
farmers. However, actual use of the agriGHALA storage system remained minimal (only 4% of Uasin Gishu farmers
and 1.4% of Bungoma soybean farmers had ever used the system). Key reasons for non-adoption included lack of
awareness (82% in Uasin Gishu and 100% in Bungoma maize), storage cost, and distance to facilities. Post-harvest
losses were widespread: in Uasin Gishu, losses were mainly due to pests (46%) and mould (33%), while in Bungoma,
poor drying (69.2%) and pests (71.6%) were dominant. Yields also varied significantly, with Uasin Gishu farmers
harvesting an average of 22.76 bags/acre of maize compared to 9.42 bags/acre in Bungoma maize and 4.04 bags/
acre in Bungoma soybean. Financial inclusion remains limited, only 1% of Uasin Gishu maize farmers accessed credit,
compared to 11.5% in Bungoma maize and 4.1% in soybean. Though only 15–39% were aware that WRS could be used
as collateral, 91.9% of Bungoma soybean farmers expressed willingness to take WRS-backed loans. Digital access
showed disparities: smartphone ownership was 73% in Uasin Gishu, 38.5% in Bungoma maize, and 67.6% in Bungoma
soybean. The cost of devices and data was cited as the primary barrier by up to 88.5% of farmers in Bungoma.
Climate change awareness was high (63–73%), with CSA adoption highest in Uasin Gishu maize (52%) and Bungoma
soybean (51.4%). These findings highlight the need for targeted WRS awareness campaigns, climate-smart training,
and expansion of digital and financial services to build resilient, market-integrated, and climate-adaptive agricultural
systems.
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