ABSTRACT Agriculture remains the mainstay of the African economy as an engine of economic growth and development where 88% of the continent’s populations living in rural areas earn their livelihood from agriculture (Ndambi 2008). Also 80% of Uganda’s cultivated land area falls under subsistence form of agriculture (Kalyebara 2005). It is this phenomenon that prompted a research study whose intention was to investigate the implications of subsistence farming in the natural environment, the...
ABSTRACT Lake Naivasha located at latitude 0 0 45’ S, and longitude 360 20’ E, was designated a Ramsar site in 1995. It is an important resource to many stakeholders and has a fragile ecosystem that experiences rapid changes associated with natural and anthropogenic factors such as huge water abstraction for irrigation agriculture, fertilizer residues runoffs from the agro-based farms and sediments discharged by River Malewa among others. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the leve...
ABSTRACT Research in wetlands has made great progress and it is widely recognized globally that they are under threat of disappearing and degradation due to overexploitation of their products and services. The study was undertaken in Yala wetland that covers an area of 17,500 ha in an area with one of the highest population density and growth rate in Kenya. The wetland is mainly cleared for crop cultivation and settlement and about 2,800ha (Figure 4.14) have been drained for commercial agricu...
ABSTRACT Prunus africana (Hook. f) Kalkman happens to be among the very important tree species. Its bark is used to treat prostate gland hypertrophy (PGH) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The increased demand for its medicinal value, together with other uses, has led to the over exploitation of this species in its natural habitat. Its cultivation by small-scale farmers appears to be the only long-term solution for meeting future products needs and its conservation. There is however li...
ABSTRACT This study investigates the social, cultural and economic impact of ethnic violence in Molo Division, Nakuru County, Kenya in the period 1969 – 2008. The Division is inhabited by several ethnic groups although the Agikuyu, the Kipsigis (a sub-group of the larger Kalenjin) and the Abagusii are the most populous. Since the introduction of multipartysm in 1991, their political and cultural differences have been exploited by politicians; the result has been ethnic based violence that ...
ABSTRACT Forests are valuable for environmental, ecological, cultural, social and economical support to natural systems and improvement of human welfare. The world‟s forest cover is estimated to be about 3.6 billion ha. Out of this portion, 57% is located in developing countries and indirectly supports about 1.6 billion people where at least 400 million are directly dependent on forest resources for their livelihood. Kenya is classified as a low forest cover country, where the closed canopy...
ABSTRACT Innovation of new business information systems or existing information systems in organizations in Kenya has become a necessity rather than a norm. Tea firms in India, Sri Lanka and other global tea producing countries are going through major challenges in doing business namely, rising labor costs, price volatility on world markets, revaluation of the Kenyan shillings vis-à-vis the US dollar and production outpacing exports. To survive in the global economy, stringent methods must b...
Abstract River catchments sustain human civilization and related biodiversity. The numerous resource bases from river catchments include: drinking water supply, abstraction of water for agriculture, for hydropower generation, recreation, transport, construction materials and fishing. However, despite their value to mankind river catchments are under pressure and are facing degradation and threat from communities and from climate change. Kasikeu River catchment is located within the Kilungu ca...
ABSTRACT Agriculture is a dominant sector of the Kenyan economy and contributes 25 percent of the GDP. Being the highest foreign exchange earner Growth is anticipated to propel the fulfillment of the 2030 vision. In line with the GoK initiatives various government agencies have initiated irrigation projects over the years, in particular small scale irrigation projects with great emphasis on sustainable development. So that food supply in the country is safe, the government has advocated for m...
Barley is one of the popular crops cultivated since ancient time in the world. Barley is one of the main cereal cropsproduced in the World and it is one of the most ancient crops among cereals and has played a significant role in the developmentof agriculture in the world. It is commonly used for food, animal feed and beverage value. The most important factors that reduceyield of barley is poor soil fertility, blanket recommendation of fertilizers, soil acidity (low soil pH), diseases and ins...
ABSTRACT Irrigated agriculture for Rhodes Grass and fodder production forms the backbone of many farmers in Al-Batinah and Salalah Plain of Sultanate of Oman. Ecological deterioration and inefficient water resource use have resulted in a significant threat to the livelihoods of those most dependent on agricultural sector. Inefficient water use has led to rising ground water tables and widespread water and soil salinization has resulted. The high water demand in the region for crop production...
ABSTRACT The funding of healthcare in Nigeria has often been described as inadequate with budgetary allocation hardly exceeding 3 percent of the budget. Healthcare spending in Nigeria is segmented into private and public spending. While public expenditure in Nigeria account for 20-30% of total health expenditures, private expenditures accounts for 70-80% of total health expenditure. Most developing countries have been dependent on aid for development financing neglecting opportunities ...
Abstract Rural livelihoods, incidence of poverty and climate change are intricately connected in the Offinso Municipality in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Conscious of the vagaries of climate change, smallholder farmers have developed adaptation measures to sustain their subsistent livelihoods. This paper examines the various on-farm adaptation measures among smallholder farmers in the Offinso municipality with the view to drawing lessons for effective policy making and implementation. A tria...
Abstract The rural people have been recognized as knowledge holders on climate change. This work examines the socio-economic imperatives of such knowledge particularly as it affects livelihood in selected forest fringe communities in Ondo State, Nigeria. Multistage random sampling technique was adopted in which 4 Local Government Areas (LGAS): Odigbo, Akure North, Owo and Idanre were randomly selected in Ondo state. In each of the LGAs, a forest reserve (Oluwa, Ala, Owo and Idanre, respectiv...
ABSTRACT Recently, there has been emergence in the use of semi-formal credit provided by devolved government in enhancing farm and off-farm enterprises. Despite the potential of the credit offered by devolved governments in terms of enhancing rural farm household welfare, little is known about the effect of this type of credit on household income. This study therefore, examined the effect of semi-formal credit use on household income in Kakamega County, Kenya. The study aimed to contribute ...