Influence of Project Design Factors on Performance of Green Technology Market Projects in Meru County, Kenya

Abstract

Green Technology Market projects have immensely developed in the 21st Century with global spotlight on design of green techniques for preservation of farm produce and Environmental conservation at the market. However, the pragmatic literature posits that they plan on huge budgets and yet mainstream of the projects have aborted in less than five years. Perhaps, the project drivers are not well expressed at the design phase obstructing their performance. In the light of this, study seeks to establish the influence of project design factors on the performance of Green Technology Market projects in Meru County, Kenya. Design factors under study are infrastructure, Stakeholders’ Involvement, Quality management practices and beneficiary Selection. The study was found on theory of Value-Belief-Norm and Environmentally Responsible Behavior. The sample size was 85 total populations of 204 sampled using stratified random sampling criteria. Questionnaires were administered to collect primary data. Descriptive statistics and multiple regressions were utilized. The multiple regressions established the influence amid variables. The results across the area of study on major gaps were analyzed. The data was tabulated for presentation. There was a spike in years of operation of Green Technology Market Projects for the last five years. Traders share facilities at the market. Traders accessed quality facilities at the market. Furthermore, to great extent traders comprised of project committee identified in fair process and had knowledge and skill on project design. Locals supplied labor needed in the project design where beneficiary’s selection was fair prioritizing the local traders and also tenders were awarded to locals. The study also found that traders accessed quality of services. The study initiate that a unit increase in project infrastructure would lead to 0.067 increase in the performance of Green Technology Market Projects in Meru County, Kenya; a unit change in beneficiary’s selection would lead to 0.050 increase in performance of the project; a unit change in the score of stakeholders’ involvement would lead to a 0.046 change in performance of the project and a unit change in the score of quality management practices would lead to a 0.040 change in performance of the project. The variables were significant since p-values were more than 0.05 and alternative hypothesis were accepted while the values for F-calculated were greater than F-critical (4.001). The study concluded that project infrastructure had the greatest influence, followed by stakeholders’ involvement, Quality Management Practices while Beneficiary’s selection had the least influence on the performance of Green Technology Market Projects in Meru County, Kenya. The study also recommends that market designs should embrace greener technologies such as harness of solar energy through roofing of markets with solar panel materials, proper waste disposal with biogas production technologies from green wastes, proper clean water supply, proper parking and green landscapes for aeration, adequate refrigeration facilities to preserve Agri-foods from yield loss hence enhancing food security for growing population and achieve poverty reduction as a key focus in the sustainable development goals and also achieve the Big Four Agenda of the Kenyan Government.