Cost management and implementation outputs of greenhouse projects in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya

Abstract

Implementation of greenhouse projects has recently, attracted the attention of government agents. The concern is attributed to the failure rate among investors in the greenhouse projects. The common cause of project failure are embodied in time, cost, quality and content constrains. The positivism philosophical orientation guided the study. This study addressed the influence of cost management dimension in project implementation of greenhouse projects in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to determine; the influence of cost resource planning on implementation, cost estimates influence on implementation, cost budget influence implementation and the influence of cost control in the implementationof greenhouse projects in five sub counties in Trans-Nzoia County. This study was guided by Control Theory. A descriptive survey design was used and target population of 394 was sample to give a sample size of 118 respondents which consisted of 100 greenhouse farmers and 18 agricultural professionals from the Ministry of Agriculture using Kothari formulae (30% of population). Random sampling technique was used to select greenhouse farmers while the agricultural extension officers were purposively selectedon account of their knowledge and experience. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedules. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and presented using tables and graphs.The assumption of normality was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, with p values for each study variable exceeding the threshold of 0.05 (Cost resource planning, p = 0.293; Cost estimates, p = 0.370; Cost budgets, p = 0.235; Cost control, p = 0.254). This suggests that all study variables were normally distributed. Additionally, the analysis of variance showed that the effect on the dependent variable was statistically significant (F = 39.558; p < 0.05), indicating that the multiple regression model was appropriate for the data and confirming the overall validity of the regression model across all variables.The findings on the influence of cost resource planning indicated that the availability of labour force needed to work in the greenhouse was not a challenge. Cost resource planning positively and significantly impacted the implementation outcomes of greenhouse projects (β=0.213; p<0.05). Similarly, cost estimates also demonstrated a positive and statistically significant effect on the implementation of greenhouse projects (β=0.185; p<0.05). These estimates were closely linked to project cost management and played a substantial role in the successful implementation of greenhouse projects. Additionally, cost budgets were found to have a positive and statistically significant impact on the implementation outcomes of greenhouse projects (β=0.229; p<0.05). The cost estimates had a relationship to the project cost management and had great influence on the implementation and success of greenhouse projects. The cost budgets had a positive and statistically significant influence on implementation outputs of greenhouse projects with (β=0.229; p<0.05). The cost control had a positive and statistically significant influence on implementation outputs of greenhouse projects with (β=0.145; p<0.05). Cost controls are important to the implementation of greenhouse projects and have great effect on its success. Interview schedule results show that cost resource planning assisted greenhouse farmers to allocate resources to the projects at the time, cost estimation strategies help project managers forecast the resource necessary for each step of the project, cost budgeting allowed the project manager to determine the amount to spend on any given aspect of the project. A cost budget assisted in financial stability and cost control allowed the business to predict future expenses to reduce the chances of budget overrun. The study concludes the cost v management is a critical component in greenhouse project implementation. The study suggests that the Ministry of Agriculture should ensure the provision of sufficient extension officers to support greenhouse projects, focusing on effective project cost management practices for their successful implementation.