Perceived impact of land use changes and livelihood diversification strategies of communities in the Lake Victoria Basin of Kenya (original) (raw)
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Livelihood diversification and implications on poverty and environment in the Lake Victoria Basin
This paper on livelihood diversification is based on an ongoing study under VicRes programme being undertaken in the Lake Victoria Basin, in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. We examine how changing socio-economic and environmental conditions contribute to livelihood diversification, land-use changes, poverty reduction strategies and environmental conservation in the Lake Victoria Basin. The study was undertaken using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative methods included focused group discussions, key informant interviews and direct observations. Quantitative data were collected using a structured household questionnaire. Qualitative were analysed with the villagers by triangulation, while quantitative data were analysed using standard statistical methods. Findings from the study indicate that while agricultural production is prominent in the highland areas, the major activity in the lowland villages is fishing. Factors such as population increase, drought, and changes in macro and micro socio-economic conditions have resulted into livelihood diversification and land use changes in the Lake Victoria basin. Some of the livelihood activities influence the socioeconomic dynamics, natural resource management, and the environment, leading to increased land degradation, low agricultural productivity, water pollution, food insecurity and poverty. The study also established decreasing trends in land availability over time attributed mainly to increasing population pressure and livelihood diversification.
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2012
This study investigates livelihood strategies developed to overcome poverty in Kasarani, a recently developed village north of Lake Naivasha in Kenya. Lake Naivasha is a wetland of international importance known for extensive cut flower investments mostly exported to Europe. Kasarani is one of the informal settlements that have emerged around Lake Naivasha owing to employment-driven immigration at the flourishing floriculture and other investments in the area. My interest was to investigate flower workers and other labour migrants, a research area that has received little attention compared to the lake and flower farms. I discuss how global economy-driven wetland conversion creates inequalities in access and use of resources (land, water etc.) between powerful and powerless actors in a common property resource, the ensuing marginalised of groups and livelihood threats. The study investigates and explains coping and response mechanisms to livelihood stress and shocks within social re...
African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 2008
The Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) is experiencing changes in land use due to both anthropogenic and natural drivers which are critical to the sustainability of the resources and livelihoods of the communities. Indeed the resultant land use practices and decisions made by the communities on the use of the land rely on the changes in the basin. This paper presents an analysis of the land use practices in the Lake Victoria Basin using two sub-catchments of Mara River (Tanzania) and Sio River (Kenya-Uganda) as case studies. Collection of mainly socio-economic and environmental data involved in-depth interviews of 679 respondents from the midstream and downstream zones of the subcatchments. The findings reveal conspicuous changes in community livelihoods as a result of expansion of cultivation, overgrazing on the river banks, increased use of wetlands areas, the disappearance and extreme fragmentation of forest, bush land and appearance and the diminishing of settlements. The hitherto common resources have become scarce forcing farmers to try intensifying and diversifying their farm production with little success due to poor traditional farming practices. Although local initiatives are leading to change, there is need for integrated approaches of indigenous knowledge, technical agricultural research, economic analysis, and policy studies and reforms.
2006
xiv CHAPTER 1: I NTRODUCTION 1 The Study Problem 1 Description of Study Region 3 Research Questions and Study Objectives 5 Rationale and Importance of Study 6 CHAPTER I I : REVIEW OF LITERATURE 12 Introduction 12 Land and Land Degradation in Rural Africa 13 Physical Land Degradation and its Impact on Rural Livelihoods in Africa 16 Poverty and its Implications on Livelihoods 20 Local Indigenous Knowledge 22 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY 24 Background 24 Qualitative Research 24 Study Site 25 Maintaining Validity 33 Data Analysis 34
Livelihood diversification and implications on dryland resources of central Tanzania
African Journal of Ecology, 2009
This paper on livelihood diversification is based on an ongoing study under VicRes programme being undertaken in the Lake Victoria Basin, in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. We examine how changing socioeconomic and environmental conditions contribute to livelihood diversification, land-use changes, poverty reduction strategies and environmental conservation in the Lake Victoria Basin. The study was undertaken using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative methods included focused group discussions, key informant interviews and direct observations. Quantitative data were collected using a structured household questionnaire. Qualitative were analysed with the villagers by triangulation, while quantitative data were analysed using standard statistical methods. Findings from the study indicate that while agricultural production is prominent in the highland areas, the major activity in the lowland villages is fishing. Factors such as population increase, drought, and changes in macro and micro socioeconomic conditions have resulted into livelihood diversification and land use changes in the Lake Victoria basin. Some of the livelihood activities influence the socioeconomic dynamics, natural resource management, and the environment, leading to increased land degradation, low agricultural productivity, water pollution, food insecurity and poverty. The study also established decreasing trends in land availability over time attributed mainly to increasing population pressure and livelihood diversification.
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Tana river delta is a key biodiversity hotspot in Kenya inhabited by pastoralists and agriculturalists. Inadequate land use planning, competing land uses, uncontrolled grazing and increasing crop farming have been major sources of conflicts resulting from competition for water, pasture and settlement. This study assessed; the contribution of delta resources to household wellbeing, stakeholder perceptions on formal management of the delta resources and how best stakeholders would be integrated into land use planning. This survey was done through Participatory Rural Appraisal tools and administering of household questionnaires. The findings revealed: new livelihood sources are emerging, a high number of poor households; livestock is owned by households living in and outside the delta with the non-delta livestock owners having the largest herds. Under-explored alternative livelihood sources, failure to target decision makers and insecurity presents major challenges to sustainable manag...
Open Journal of Ecology, 2020
Weather extremes negatively affect socioeconomic developments in arid and semi-arid areas (ASALs) and increase vulnerability of residents to food and water insecurity. Thus, communities adapt to such extremes of weather using Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and/or Modern Technologies. Modern farming technologies and land resource developments in ASALs have in past ignored TEK, and in most cases led to undesired outcomes. It's against this backdrop that this study was conceived to assess TEK among the Turkana people, its application and contribution to food and water security. The research adopted a cross-sectional social survey in collecting data from Central Turkana Sub-County residents. The study revealed that the Turkana people possess vast knowledge related to their environment; that this TEK plays a significant role in food production, preservation and in natural resource management. For instance, in 82% of the respondents use TEK in enhancing livestock production through the selection of livestock species that are suitable and drought tolerant; over 70% of them use TEK in reducing risk associated with livestock losses due to prolonged droughts. Further, TEK influenced the development and conservation of the water resources (r = 0.631; p < 0.01) including siting boreholes and wells. There was a strong correlation (r = 0.755; p < 0.01) between TEK and food security. TEK should be incorporated into the decision-making processes involving development projects within the ASALs.
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Environment and Natural Resources Research, 2011
Lake Naivasha became a focus of international attention when it attained a Ramsar status in 1995. The lake is the major source of freshwater for the Kenya's booming horticultural industry. There is growing evidence of excessive water abstraction to meet both the economic and social needs of communities living around the lake. Recently its management and conservation has been devolved to the local communities in a bottom-up participatory approach to replace the traditional top-down management strategy. This paper assesses the role of Community-Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) in achieving sustainable water management at Lake Naivasha. The results showed a diversity of stakeholders with different interests competing amongst themselves for water access which is affecting both the lake hydrology and the surrounding wetland ecosystems. Due to human activities, the effects of climate change, and the lack the capacity of various stakeholders to finance and follow through with conservation projects, the lake water has been drying over the years.