Abstract:
Many TASK projects funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to eradicate food insecurity in Kenya fail to meet their predetermined objectives. Thus, the purpose of the study was to examine the influence of community participation on sustainability of donor funded TASK projects in Ndhiwa Sub County, Homa Bay County, Kenya. The objectives of the study were to: investigate the influence of community consultation on sustainability of donor funded TASK projects; examine the influence of provision of locally available resources on sustainability of donor funded TASK projects and establish the influence of community training on sustainability of donor funded TASK projects in Ndhiwa Sub County, Homa Bay County, Kenya. The study was guided by the Arnstein’s ladder of participation theory. It adopted a mixed method research design with a target population of 308 persons. The study employed a cluster random sampling technique and Yamane’s formula for determining sample size which yielded a sample of 174 persons. Data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedule and focused group discussion. The instruments were validated by the supervisors. Reliability of the instruments was determined through a pilot study where Cronbach alpha coefficients of 0.826, 0.880 and 0.831 were obtained for the instruments on community consultation, provision of local resources and community training, respectively. This indicated that the instruments were reliable. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and presented in graphs and tables, while qualitative data from interviews was organized into themes and sub-themes. The study established that there was a strong, positive (r>0.5) and statistically significant (p<0.05) relationship between the aspects of community participation and sustainability of donor funded TASK projects: community consultation; provision of resources; and community training. It was therefore recommended that, for sustainability, community consultation, training and provision of local resources should be assured. Finally, there is need for further studies to narrow down the influence of each community participation indicator on sustainability of donor funded projects. The information provided by this research will be of benefit to policymakers, community members and academicians.
