Research Publications

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://localhost:4000/handle/20.500.12092/1797

Welcome to Karatina University Research papers. The community has research papers produced by Karatina University Community

Browse

Subject: search.filters.subject.drylands

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    GENDER, LAND OWNERSHIP AND FOOD PRODUCTION NEXUS IN MBEERE DRYLANDS, KENYA: IMPLICATIONS ON HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY
    (2018) Mwenzwa, Ezekiel; Cheserek, Grace; Kiptui, Mark
    Land ownership gives an individual the confidence and dignity required to be active in society. Indeed, land ownership and rights are important for effective utilization of farmland for food production to alleviate food insecurity and revitalize household welfare and national development. While the foregoing is the ideal situation, the reality is that culture and gender dictates who owns land especially when customary laws seem to override any legal and policy provisions regarding land ownership, access and control. In particular, women are largely land caretakers, with men owning most of the land, titled or otherwise. Based on the foregoing, this paper sought to identify gender and land ownership structures in the context of dryland farming and their implications on household food security in the Mbeere drylands of Embu County. It utilized both qualitative and quantitative methods of social investigation and concluded that while many factors combine to determine food production and food security, inadequate access to and control of land and related resources by women in the Mbeere drylands is significant. Consequently and given the environmental and cultural milieu on which land is utilized, measures have been proposed to augment dryland farming and alleviate food insecurity in the Mbeere drylands.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Gender, Land Ownership and Food Production Nexus in Mbeere Drylands, Kenya: Implications on Household Food Security
    (European Journal Of Social Sciences Studies, 2018) Mwenzwa, Ezekiel; Cheserek, Grace; Kiptui, Mark
    Land ownership gives an individual the confidence and dignity required to be active in society. Indeed, land ownership and rights are important for effective utilization of farmland for food production to alleviate food insecurity and revitalize household welfare and national development. While the foregoing is the ideal situation, the reality is that culture and gender dictates who owns land especially when customary laws seem to override any legal and policy provisions regarding land ownership, access and control. In particular, women are largely land caretakers, with men owning most of the land, titled or otherwise. Based on the foregoing, this paper sought to identify gender and land ownership structures in the context of dryland farming and their implications on household food security in the Mbeere drylands of Embu County. It utilized both qualitative and quantitative methods of social investigation and concluded that while many factors combine to determine food production and food security, inadequate access to and control of land and related resources by women in the Mbeere drylands is significant. Consequently, and given the environmental and cultural milieu on which land is utilized, measures have been proposed to augment dryland farming and alleviate food insecurity in the Mbeere drylands.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The Effect of Participation in Farmer Groups on Household Adoption of Sustainable Land Management Practices in Kenyan Drylands
    (Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology, 2020-12) Karaya, Rebecca N.; Onyango, Christopher A.; Ogendi, George M.
    Land degradation is a major cause of declining yields and loss of dryland ecosystems resilience in the Lake Baringo Basin in Kenya. One of the solutions to land degradation in drylands is the application of Sustainable Land Management (SLM) technologies. Improving farmers’ capacity to adopt SLM technologies has been an important strategy of the Kenyan government and her development partners to addressing land degradation. State agricultural extension services are charged with the role of building this capacity. Unfortunately, such extension services have had little impact in the Kenyan drylands. To counter this inadequacy in extension services, farmers have formed grass-root organisations to foster networks of support and information sharing. In this paper, we analysed the effect of participation in farmers organisation in promoting adoption of SLM practices by agropastoralists in the Lake Baringo Basin. Data were collected through in-depth household interviews with 150 farmers, 79 of them group members and 71 non-group members. Level of knowledge, sources of information and challenges of SLM adoption were studied. The study revealed significant and positive association between group participation and adoption of SLM practices at X2 (3, N=150=63.209, P=0.000). Additionally, group partnering with development agencies like Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and government departments was reported to have significant influence on household adoption of SLM practices at X2 (3, N=79=13.147, P=0.004). The results indicated that farmer groups can effectively be used to leverage farmers' adoption of SLM innovations and potentially improve household income and food security in the Kenyan drylands. We recommended organizational and resource capacity building for farmer groups to promote their effectiveness in provision of resources and services to their members. In addition, government research and extension agencies and academia should consider forming collaborations with farmer groups in generation of SLM technologies that are suited to the farmers location and prevailing context.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    A Public-Private Partnership Scheme To Avert Desertification in the Drylands of Kenya: Lessons for Social Scientists
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2016) Mwenzwa, Ezekiel Mbitha
    The drylands of Kenya make up about 80% of the total land area and are defined by aridity, thermal stress, soil moisture deficiency and general human want. The poverty bedevilling the drylands leave their inhabitants without a sustainable livelihood, compelling them to rely on physical environmental resources. Indeed, the exploitation of natural resources in these areas has led to the manifestation of the tragedy of commons hypothesis. Official documents show that about 80% of households in these areas use charcoal and firewood as fuel, leading to deforestation. This situation is not accompanied by re-forestation, leaving more land bare annually, and therefore risking desertification. This is compounded by overstocking and encroachment of human settlements, which further leads to the destruction of other natural resources, including wetlands. This paper analyzes literature and roots for a paradigm shift in the exploitation of dryland resources to avert possible desertification. As a panacea, it proposes a public-private partnership of social scientists to avert this trend and augment environmental management and livelihood in the drylands of Kenya.