Abstract

Fish farming has and continues to play a vital role in improving nutrition and creating employment. The sociological aspects manifest in the household as well as the community were the centre of focus in the study aimed at establishing the households and group networks in the development of fish farming in Busia County. It sought to assess the importance of group networking among farmers to the development of fish farming. The theory of social network action as propounded by Friedkin (1993) was used to explain the sociological relevance of the study. The study adopted a mixed methods approach and a survey research design that is cross-sectional in nature was used. The target population was that of farmers who registered were actively involved in fish farming as well as a number whom through their own initiative, ventured into the enterprise. An additional eight key informants were selected for the study. These included three government extension officers, two chairmen of fish farmers’ organizations, two fish farmers in the county that belonged to groups and a chief. The findings of the study revealed that a majority of the farmers realized a growth on their fish farms. The main statistical test that was used was Chi-square goodness-of-fit. The study findings revealed that group networking was a significant component in the development of fish farming in Busia County. The study recommended that key components on conflict resolution and functionality should be included in the training, to be applied at group level. This would enhance the synergy and efficient functioning of the farmers’ groups as sociological units in the optimal development of the sector. As for areas of further research, it was proposed that a study be done on the demographic variables influencing the development of fish farming in Busia County.