Farmers' indicators for soil erosion mapping and crop yield estimation in central highlands of Kenya
2005
Okoba, Barrack O.
The central highlands of Kenya is characterised by abundant rainfall and fertile volcanic soils that support agricultural activities but problems of soil erosion are widespread in the region.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]Past efforts to control the soil erosion problems were through application of regulations that enforced adoption of soil and water conservation measures.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]Despite many decades of campaigns to have farmers embrace the recommended conservation measures, the success was low and soil degradation continued to increase.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]Various methodological gaps were identified in the currently applied Catchment Approach concept for soil and water conservation planning.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]Among these was the lack of simple infield tool to assess soil erosion prior to recommending conservation measures.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]Currently assessment of soil erosion is largely dependent on expert-experiences and conventional approaches that are resource demanding and hardly simulate local conditions.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]The aim of this study was to develop a tool for participatory soil erosion mapping at field and catchment scales.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]This tool is based on the farmers' knowledge and perceptions of soil degradation and uses farmers' indicators for soil erosion and sedimentation.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]Research was conducted in a representative area of the humid highlands of the central Kenya in Gikuuri catchment in Embu District.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]Through household interviews and focussed group meetings the study established that farmers were aware of the on-going soil erosion problems and they knew various conservation measures despite low adoption.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]Through their widescale knowledge of the erosion indicators, they were able to present the soil erosion scenario maps comparable to scientific assessments.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]Crop yield losses were closely correlated to soil erosion indicators as well as to soil erosion status.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]By reflecting on the catchment soil erosion status map, the farming community resolved to undertake planning of soil and water conservation measures at both the field and catchment scales because they were able to easily pinpoint fields or hillslopes that were severely eroded.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]The study concluded that lack of involving farmers greatly reduced their motivation to participate in soil and water conservation activities and that using their knowledge of topsoil profile characteristics led to simple approaches of quantifying soil productivity.
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]The last part of this study presents a tool that could be applied to engage farmer(s) to map extent of soil erosion and through which participatory soil and water conservation planning could be realised within the framework of the current Catchment Approach, widely adopted in the East African highland regions.
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