ABSTRACT Indigenous plant species have salient socio-cultural significance among many peoples of Africa. In Kenya, certain plant species are important for ceremonial functions such as marriage and rites of passage. Among the Kalenjin, over 100 species are important for such functions. However, the species are relatively under threat in their occurence and abundance due to climate variations and impacts of development. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of climate change on th...
ABSTRACT Laikipia West district receives between 500 mm and 950mm of rainfall annually. It is therefore, classified as a semi arid region with harsh and fragile environment. The low and erratic rainfalls govern vegetation dynamics, animals‟ survival and the general human welfare. Frequent drought as a result of climate change has exacerbated and compounded the problem of provision of quality basic education in the district. This study was conducted to investigate drought prevalence and th...
ABSTRACT The semi-arid Ijara sub-county borders Fafi sub-county to the north, Lamu and Tana River counties to the south and west respectively and republic of Somalia to the east. It occupies agro-ecological zones IV to VI, that change to V and VI, moving away from Boni forest with an estimated 1000km2 arable land suitable for crop agriculture. Temperatures range 15ºC – 38ºC with average relative humidity 68%. Rainfall data from Kenya Met Services 1970-2008 indicated shift from the tradi...
ABSTRACT Climate change is a real phenomenon whose effects ought to be mitigated, based on assessments that are informed by scientific evidence. Trees in agricultural landscapes play a significant role in mitigating climate change hence a robust inventory of tree biomass in these landscapes is essential for the accurate estimation of their potential in sequestering carbon. Therefore, applicable allometric equations that yield accurate biomass estimates of trees in agricultural landscapes are...
ABSTRACT Disaster risk reduction projects are some of the initiatives undertaken with an aim of addressing climate variability associated disasters such as droughts and floods and loss of agricultural production. The projects are normally aimed at reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience among rural communities towards climate variability and change. Results of adaptation measures undertaken by such projects to increase adaptive capacity of the communities remain largely under researc...
ABSTRACT Water is life and the heart for existence in the biosphere. Where water is magnanimously plentiful, people and ecosystems thrive in abundance but in places where it is scarce, complex adaptation strategies and sophisticated civilizations have been born. Indigenous systems such as pastoralism have for centuries been flexible to harsh conditions of water and pasture scarcity but exogenous factors like climate change render them fragile. Currently, severe and abrupt changes in climatic ...
ABSTRACT Dealing with declining coffee amidst challenges occasioned by climate variability is a problem affecting large-scale coffee production in Kenya. Climate variability has affected coffee output by changing distribution of pests and diseases, hindering growth and affecting amount of water supplied for irrigation. Kiambu is a major coffee producer in Kenya and coffee is mostly grown in estates. Climate variability makes it difficult for farmers to predict when to plant and interferes wit...
ABSTRACT The expected global temperature increase, more intense rainfall and more frequent droughts will have devastating effects on pastoral livelihoods. The economy of the affected areas also dwindle in the event of these calamities considering that droughts and diseases resulting from floods affect the health of livestock which is the major source of livelihood for the pastoralists. The aim of this study was to investigate the impacts of climate variability and the resulting vector-borne d...
xiii ABSTRACT Climate variability is an emerging phenomenon that is threatening dairy farming globally. The dairy-climate change dilemma in Kenya cannot be mistaken. However, extensive research into dairy farming and an understanding of the dynamics of climate variability effects is greatly lacking.The study investigated the effects of climate variability on dairy farming in Masaba North Sub-county of Nyamira County, Kenya. The main objective was to determine the effects of climate variabilit...
Abstract The title of this study is: Exploring the Impact of Work Ethics on Specific Work Practices in the Ministry of Home Affairs & Immigration’s Division of Alien Control, Citizenship and Passports. It’s a mixed research and one of the objectives is to test the correlation between the ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration and the public’s perception on work ethics. The intention of the research is: To assess the employees’ understanding and perceptions with regard to work ethics...
Abstract Climate variability and extreme events are some of the most pressing environmental challenges occurring in the contemporary world. Farming communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Kenya are more vulnerable to climate variability and extreme events due to high dependence on weather patterns in their farming activities. There is little understanding of the vulnerability to climate variability and extreme events among farmers in Kitui County based on the agro-ecological zones....
ABSTRACT Globally, one of the major contributors to diseases burden and mortality are waterborne diseases and sanitation-related infections. The study sought to investigate the implications of climate variability on water availability and its implications for public health. Cross tabulations, Chi-square statistic and a logit model were used to identify determinants of water availability and the determinants of water-borne diseases. Data for the study was collected via a survey of women in ho...
ABSTRACT The main objective of this study was to measure the effectiveness of formal institutional support on the ability of smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change, using the Sissala East and West Districts of Ghana as cases. The study was also pursued to find out the challenges institutions faced in providing support while investigating the factors that hindered smallholder farmers from accessing institutional support. In line with these objectives the study combined both qualitative...
ABSTRACT Some environmental impacts such as pollution and widespread of biodiversity loss can be related to the activities of an organisation supply chain. Manufacturing companies such as breweries, instead of investing in environmentally friendly technologies which can help in the prevention of waste at the source, generate large amounts of unnecessary emissions and wastes. The Accra Brewery Limited (ABL) uses a lot of raw materials; it is energy-intensive and generates a lot of waste and e...
ABSTRACT Climate change is having severe impacts on agricultural production and food security, with yields from rain-fed agriculture in developing countries projected to halve by 2020. One crop vulnerable to the effect of climate variability and change is cocoa (Theobroma cacao). Though there are extensive studies on how the cocoa sector can adapt to the adverse effects of climate variability and change, little empirical research has been carried out on the consequences of micro-adaptation me...