REVERSE LOGISTICS AND SUSTAINABLE PERFORMANCE OF AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAIN ORGANIZATIONS IN KISII COUNTY, KENYA
REVERSE LOGISTICS AND SUSTAINABLE PERFORMANCE OF AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAIN ORGANIZATIONS IN KISII COUNTY, KENYA
Momanyi Emmanuel Masese - School of Business, KCA University, Kenya
Dr. Catherine Gatari (Ph.D) - School of Business, KCA University, Kenya
ABSTRACT
The agricultural sector plays a vital role in the economy, yet it faces increasing pressure to adopt sustainable practices in response to environmental degradation, climate change, and market demands. This study examined the effect of reverse logistics on the sustainable performance of agricultural value chain organizations in Kisii County. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population was 84 respondents from agricultural value chain organizations. These respondents involve agricultural value chain officers and agribusiness officers who had knowledge of production, processing, distribution, and retailing of selected value chains including bananas, avocados, coffee, dairy products and chicken within Kisii County. The sample size was 84 respondents. The study adopted a census technique to ensure proper representative inclusion of various categories of agricultural value chain organizations in Kisii County. The data collection instrument for this study was structured questionnaires. Pilot study was conducted in Kisii using 8 respondents represent 10% of the sample 84. The study used descriptive statistics and inferential statistics to analyze collected data. Simple regression analysis was used in determining the strength of relationship between variables. The results were presented in Tables. The study established that reverse logistics positively and significantly correlated with sustainable performance of agricultural value chain firms in Kisii County. Additionally, the study established that reverse logistics positively and significantly affects the sustainable performance of agricultural value chain firms. The study concluded that enhancing the various aspects of reverse logistics contributes to enhanced levels of sustainable performance of the firms. The study recommended that the agricultural value chain firms in Kisii County should consistently integrate reverse logistics practices to enhance competitiveness, reduce costs, and achieve long-term sustainable performance.
