Abstract Seasonal rainfall variability, particularly the uncertainty with respect to the direction and extent that variability will assume in a given season, forms the greatest source of risk to crop production in semi-arid areas of Ethiopia. Equipping vulnerable communities, in advance, with the expected date of onset of a cropping season, is crucial for smallholder farmers to better prepare to respond and manage the uncertainties. Therefore, rainfall prediction, particularly development of...
Abstract Human-related activities are known to have deleterious effects on the water quality of aquatic ecosystems, but there is limited information on the impact of these on rivers in tropical regions, such as the Chania River in Kenya. The Chania River is an important source of water for humans and animals and provides habitat for a variety of flora and fauna. This study used a Water Quality Index (WQI) to assess the suitability of the water for human use based on selected physico-chemical...
Abstract Objective The analytical study systematically reviewed the evidence about the IWRM strategy model. The study analysed the IWRM strategy, policy advances and practical implications it had, since inception on effective water management in East, West and Southern Africa. Methods The study adopted the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) and the scoping literature review approach. The study searched selected databases for peer-reviewed a...
Abstract The access to water services is a fundamental human right. Water and sanitation services coverage in Kenya is low even with the implementation of reforms in the sector initiated in 2002. Small and medium Water Service Providers (WSP) face numerous challenges which are stifling their ability to sustainably fulfill their mandates without relying on subsidies from state or non-state entities. The aim of this study was to analyze the challenges facing water utilities in rural Counties u...
Abstract Potable water treatment and supply systems are designed and constructed to deliver adequate water to meet consumer demand requirements. Consequently, water demand forecasting is essential for the design and operations management of treated water supply systems. Correct prediction of time-varying water demand trends and the critical water demand values determines the extent to which a network can satisfy critical demand and maintain economic efficiency. This study aimed to forecast K...
Abstract/Overview We quantified the soil carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes of five soil fertility management practices (inorganic fertilizer (Mf), maize residue + inorganic fertilizer (RMf), maize residue + inorganic fertilizer + goat manure (RMfM), maize residue + tithonia diversifolia + goat manure (RTiM), and a control (CtC)) in Kenya’s central highlands using a static chamber method from March 2019 to March 2020. The cumulative annual soil CH4 uptak...
Abstract: Green gram(Vigna radiataL.) has recently become an important crop in Kitui County because of its high economic returns and short growing season.The main objective of this study was therefore to develop a GIS-based Multi-criteria analysis for Green gram production in Kitui County using Geographic Information Sytem (GIS) based multi-criteria evaluation. Three main criteria were selected for analysis (soil, climate and topography) and 8 sub criteria (soil texture, soil depth, soil pH,...
Abstract: The Mara River is the lifeline of the Trans boundary Mara basin across Kenya and Tanzania. The basin is considered one of the more serene sub-catchments of the Lake Victoria Basin and ultimately the Nile Basin. The basin traverses the famous Maasai Mara and Serengeti National Parks in Kenya and Tanzania respectively. The basin also contains forests, largescale farms, smallholder farms, pastoral grazing lands, as well as hunter gatherers and fishers. There is growing concern however...
Abstract: Natural resource degradation and water scarcity are a global concern that threatens sustainability of smallholder farmers’ livelihoods in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs). In ASALs, low adoption of Integrated Soil Fertility and Water Management (ISFWM) technologies has contributed to food and nutrition insecurity. A study was carried out to assess factors influencing smallholder farmers’ adoption decision of ISFWM technologies in Mwala and Yatta Sub-Counties. A questionnaire wa...
Abstract: This research study investigated the changes in the salinity composition and fluctuation of the Crocodile river and its catchment upstream of the Hartbeespoort dam covering the period of 1985 to 2015. By analysing the 35-year long-term data sets of nine monitoring stations in the study area’s catchment, various trends and patterns emerged. Maucha diagrams and various graphs were drawn by utilising the above-mentioned data sets. These Maucha diagrams and graphs indicated the chang...
Abstract: Land use changes, rapid population growth, poverty, climate change variability and lack of livelihoods diversification aggravate watershed degradation through inappropriate land use methods resulting to water scarcity, land and water pollution, and governance issues. Soil erosion and siltation has led to land denudation, habitat loss and farm lands losing their soil fertility and compromising food security. The main objective of the study was to find out how land use methods influe...
Abstract: Eight stations with over 30 years of rainfall record were selected in the dry region of Kenya, east of 37°E longitude, to study the nature of the crop growing seasons during the short and the long rains (October through June). The rainfall data were reduced to soil moisture based upon area wide assumptions on the soil characteristics. The start, end and duration of the crop growing seasons were determined and tested for normality using a 10 mm soil moisture threshold value at each...
Abstract: Conventional approaches to water management have traditionally treated social systems and ecosystems as distinct, and to a large degree have failed to achieve outcomes that are simultanously efficient, equitable, and sustainable. Perhaps nowhere has the need to reform the way water is managed and even conceived been more apparent than in South Africa in the last decade, where a tremendous opportunity for change has been created in the form of the National Water Act of 1998. In this...
Abstract: Despite the vital importance of reliable data sets on the current effect of seasonal rainfall variability on water resources in Lake Mutanda catchment of southwestern Uganda, little is known about the status of this phenomenon. Lake Mutanda and its catchment provide water for domestic use, and irrigation. This study was aimed to assess the effects of seasonal rainfall variability on physicochemical and bacteriological water quality of Lake Mutanda and its catchments, and to suggest...
Abstract: Currently, climate change and its impacts on natural resources are key issues in Ethiopia. The main impacts on natural resources include land degradation, soil erosion, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, recurrent drought and flood. In view of this, this study was initiated with the main objective of assessing the impact of watershed management on climate change adaptation in Gara Jeba watershed, Deder Woreda. To address the above objective, the study used both qualitative and qu...