Assessment of climate variability and change in semi-arid eastern Kenya

Gichangi, E. M.; Gatheru, M.; Njiru, E; Mungube, E. O.; Wambua, J. M.; Wamuongo, J.W.

doi:10.1007/s10584-015-1341-2

Cited by 40 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Based on the temperature and rainfall patterns observed in Shawa, an increasing trend in temperature is likely, but the trend in rainfall is uncertain in Njoro in the 2050s. This is in agreement with other studies in the region, which show increasing trends in temperature (Washington & Pearce, 2012;Daron, 2014;Musau et al, 2015;Gichangi et al, 2016;). However, studies in Kenya recorded mixed observations on projected trends for rainfall.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Application of the climate analogue concept in assessing the probable physiological and haematological responses of Friesian cattle to changing and variable climate in the Kenyan Highlands

Wangui¹,

Bebe²,

Ondiek³

et al. 2018

SA J. An. Sci.

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Friesian cattle are considered the most sensitive to climate change-induced thermal stress and remain the major dairy breed in Kenya. This study applied the climate analogue concept to predict probable physiological and haematological responses of Friesian cattle in the 2050s to understand their adaptability to a changing and variable climate. Njoro in the Kenya Rift Valley Highlands was used as the reference site and its 2050s climate analogue site was identified in Shawa, based on criteria of a similarity index of 0.8-0.9. Results suggest that Njoro in the 2050s will likely experience increasing temperatures, but changes in rainfall are uncertain. The increasing temperatures will probably be accompanied by mild thermal stress for Friesian cattle during the dry seasons or drought. The thermal humidity index differed between times of day, but not between the analogue sites. Except for rectal temperatures, the physiological and haematological responses differed between the analogue sites, but were within the normal ranges. It is concluded that Friesian cattle in Njoro in the 2050s will probably experience mild thermal stress in the afternoons during the dry seasons, expressed by slight increases in physiological and haematological responses, but will probably remain within the normal margins.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Application of the climate analogue concept in assessing the probable physiological and haematological responses of Friesian cattle to changing and variable climate in the Kenyan Highlands

Wangui¹,

Bebe²,

Ondiek³

et al. 2018

SA J. An. Sci.

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“…The Katumani total rainfall has a downward trend with Theil-Sen slope of À 0.45 with P-value of 0.81. This finding is similar to that of Gichangi et al (2015) who observed that there was no discernible trend in the decrease of rainfall in Machakos County for the period 1961-2011. In Makindu, the maximum annual total of 1,246 mm was recorded in the year 1968, while the minimum annual total was 226 mm in 2005, with a mean annual rainfall of 600 mm ( Figure 2b).…”

Section: Assessment Of Climate Variability Based On Rainfallsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Rao and Okwach (2005) observed that annual rainfall in Katumani had a coefficient of variation of 28% with more than 40% of seasons receiving less than 250 mm. The study by Gichangi et al (2015) in Machakos County also observed that 35.3% of the MAM and 43.1% of the OND rainy seasons would be classified as failed seasons with rainfall being less than 25% below the long term mean.…”

Section: Assessment Of Climate Variability Based On Rainfallmentioning

confidence: 91%

Changing rainfall patterns and farmers’ adaptation through soil water management practices in semi-arid eastern Kenya

Recha

Mati

Nyasimi

et al. 2016

Arid Land Research and Management

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There is limited documentation of soil and water management technologies that enhance adaptation to climate change in drylands of Kenya. Rainfall patterns were analyzed in the semi-arid Machakos and Makueni counties of eastern Kenya using historical data. A total of forty-three smallholder farmers implementing soil water management practices were sampled, and an estimate of the seasonal water budget for current crop and livestock production systems computed. Analysis of rainfall amounts and distribution shows increasing variability, with the average annual total amounts decreasing over the past 50 years. Furthermore, the number of rainy days within the March-April-May season that can support crop growth is gradually decreasing. These decreases are however not significant at P < 0.05. There were more seasons with low rainfall amounts compared to those with high rainfall amounts. All these subject the smallholder crop and livestock production system to limited soil moisture. Farmers address the risk by harnessing and utilizing green (rainfall stored in soil) and blue (rainfall collected into storage tanks) water technologies. The study found that farmers in these semi-arid counties practice fifteen diverse soil and water management interventions on their farms. The most popular practices are cut-off drains, retention ditches, terracing, run-off harvesting, and agroforestry. The estimated seasonal water budget indicates the need for integrated soil and water management interventions to address the crop and livestock production constraints. ARTICLE HISTORY

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“…The bimodal rainfall pattern that is typical for the country (with long rains from March to May, and short rains from October to December [51]) is not exhibited in the LVWC, as illustrated in the monthly boxplots for the variables of soil moisture and VCI (Figures 7b and 8b). Further, for the 14-year period from 2005 to 2018, most of the land area of the LVWC can be categorized as being in a wet state, but with increasing trends in the proportion of the area in the LVWC under extreme-severe and moderate-normal drought (Figure 8a).…”

Section: Cross Cuttingmentioning

confidence: 94%

A Climate-Smart Approach to the Implementation of Land Degradation Neutrality within a Water Catchment Area in Kenya

Gichenje

Godinho

2019

Climate

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At the sub-national level, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) proposes the analysis and contextualization of land degradation-neutrality (LDN) at a water catchment scale to provide decision support for the formulation of policies and programmes towards transformative LDN interventions. Building on a number of national LDN studies in Kenya, an approach for the implementation of LDN that is based on the spatial and temporal characterization of key land degradation and climate change variables was defined. For a selected water catchment area, the LDN baseline was computed, the drivers that affect land degradation and regeneration trends within the main land cover types were identified and described, the trends of key climate change variables were described, and appropriate sustainable land management interventions for the main land cover types were identified. A climate-smart landscape approach that delineated the catchment area into zones focused on adaptation, and both adaptation and mitigation objectives was then proposed. The operationalization of a climate-smart landscape will require significant investment to not only provide an understanding of the bio-physical processes and interactions occurring at the catchment level but also to develop the institutional and technical capacities of relevant actors. The landscape approach proposed for the catchment area has the potential to improve livelihoods and the productivity of ecosystems while concurrently facilitating synergies between land degradation, climate change, and other development objectives.

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Assessment of climate variability and change in semi-arid eastern Kenya

Cited by 40 publications

References 12 publications

Application of the climate analogue concept in assessing the probable physiological and haematological responses of Friesian cattle to changing and variable climate in the Kenyan Highlands

Application of the climate analogue concept in assessing the probable physiological and haematological responses of Friesian cattle to changing and variable climate in the Kenyan Highlands

Changing rainfall patterns and farmers’ adaptation through soil water management practices in semi-arid eastern Kenya

A Climate-Smart Approach to the Implementation of Land Degradation Neutrality within a Water Catchment Area in Kenya

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