ABSTRACT Women play a vital role in food production, however, little has been documented about their role in food security for their households despite their efforts in food production. The purpose of the study was to assess the role of women in household food security in Mpeketoni Location, Lamu County, Kenya. The objectives of the study were: to identify the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of women farmers; to determine farming inputs used by women farmers; to establish the fa...
ABSTRACT In rural areas, water availability in the right quantity and quality is an important step towards achieving socio-economic development. Thus, the provision of sustainable water supply has been a central issue in Kenya with priority on low-income rural communities and underdeveloped areas with poor water resources. This has forced many rural communities to embrace community management model in rural water systems. However, despite continued large-scale investment by the government an...
ABSTRACT Various studies have shown that land use impacts on water quality are attributable to about 80 % of diseases in the developing world. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of land use on water quality in River Malaget sub-catchment. The specific objectives were to: i) establish spring and streamflow water quality; ii) determine the water quality index of the selected sampling points and iii) evaluate the relationship between spring and streamflow water quality ...
ABSTRACT Climate change is viewed as one of the greatest challenges facing humanity manifested in form of variation in amount and distribution of precipitation, ocean salinity, wind patterns and aspects of extreme weather leading to droughts and flooding, among others. These changes threaten community livelihoods, economy, ecosystems and social cohesion. Africa is particularly viewed to bear the brunt of the climate change threats mainly due to its poor economic development and low instituti...
ABSTRACT Parasitic weeds are plants that have evolutionarily lost autotrophic way of life during their development stages. Dodder, a plant of the Cuscuta species, is one such invasive parasitic weed with a wide range of world geographic distribution and host diversity. In Kenya, dodder is common in counties at the Coast, Central, Nyanza, Western and Rift valley. The plant is alleged to parasitize on a variety of perennial crops, wild and domesticated trees and shrubs thus affecting host vigo...
ABSTRACT Information on the quality of water is important as it forms a vital baseline for among others the detection of undesirable change in water quality. Diatoms often are used as water quality bio indicators in European countries, however there is limited use of these microalgae in most African countries yet they are suitable for quantitative research as they respond strongly to environmental changes. The physico-chemical and diatom properties were investigated along River Kisat that dr...
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 Laikipia West district receives between 500 mm and 950mm of rainfall annually. It is therefore, classified as a semi arid region with harsh and fragile environment. The low and erratic rainfalls govern vegetation dynamics, animals‟ survival and the general human welfare. Frequent drought as a result of climate change has exacerbated and compounded the problem of provision of quality basic education in the district. This study was conducted to investigate drought prevalence and th...
ABSTRACT Drought and famine, in sub-Saharan Africa, are among the leading causes of vulnerability within resource poor households in Arid and Semi-Arid agro-ecosystems. Accordingly, understanding how these communities cope with drought-driven food insecurity is critical for mitigation planning. This study was conducted in Makamini location in Kwale County, an area with a long history of food insecurity. Purposive sampling was used to identify twenty key informants and 30 respondents in each s...
ABSTRACT Access to quality water remains a key indicator of an improved social and economic life of any community. Due to an increasing human population, changes in land use activities and climate variability, Nyangores Basin in Kenya has been under pressure and for this reason, availability and access to quality and sufficient quantity of water has been adversely affected. Despite government plans to ensure all households access piped water; this has not been achieved as coverage is still v...
ABSTRACT There is a growing demand for indigenous medicinal plants and an increasing interest in their use among Kenyans who depend on them for one use or another. The study was conducted with the main objective to determine the utilization and conservation of indigenous medicinal plants in Koipirir, Ilchurai and Ikumae in Baringo County. The specific objectives were to assess the composition and abundance of the common Indigenous Medicinal Plants in the study areas, to find out the diversity...
ABSTRACT Malaria and lymphatic filariasis transmission along the coastal strip of Kenya is endemic. The predominant mosquito vectors of human malaria include Anopheles gambiae s.l. and Anopheles funestus. The same mosquitoes transmit lymphatic filariasis with an added role for Culex quinquefasciatus. Current control strategies for anthropophagic mosquitoes largely involve methods that sample for adult mosquitoes inside human dwellings before they are implemented. Despite the intensive inter...
ABSTRACT The semi-arid Ijara sub-county borders Fafi sub-county to the north, Lamu and Tana River counties to the south and west respectively and republic of Somalia to the east. It occupies agro-ecological zones IV to VI, that change to V and VI, moving away from Boni forest with an estimated 1000km2 arable land suitable for crop agriculture. Temperatures range 15ºC – 38ºC with average relative humidity 68%. Rainfall data from Kenya Met Services 1970-2008 indicated shift from the tradi...
ABSTRACT Many developing countries have been decentralizing some aspects of natural resource management. Governments justify decentralization as a means of increasing access, use, management, and decision making on natural resources. In Kenya, decentralisation points to conflict resolution whether explicitly or implicitly. However, the questions of to what degree and in what ways decentralization affect conflict in management of natural resources in Kenya have largely been overlooked. Thus, t...
ABSTRACT Mount Kenya Reserve is vital to the livelihood of the local populations who revere it. The forest reserve is of vital ecological, economic and environmental importance and is recognized as a world heritage site. The forest reserve serves as a water catchment reservoir for nearly a third of Kenya‟s population and feeds the country‟s largest River Tana, which in turn supports hydro electric plants that provide more than 50% of the country‟s electricity. The forest reserve is curr...