Fostering the Use of Rainwater for Off-Season Small-Scale Irrigation in Arid and Semi-arid Areas of Kenya

Oguge, Nicholas; Oremo, Francis

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-66239-8_9

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This reflected their understanding of soil process, such as rapid drainage of water through the coarse soil particles, a problem in a region that experiences erratic rains and frequent drought spells because it leads to crop loss. Even if these are low-cost water conservation techniques, they can be labour intensive (Oguge and Oremo, 2018). The coarse particles are due to components from the metamorphic bedrock (Bishop, Woolley and Hamilton, 1999), especially silicate minerals such as microcline and oligoclase (Mine & Geological Department Kenya colony North-West Quadrant, 1954) which create sand.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing farmers' qualitative evaluation of soil fertility with quantitative soil fertility indicators in Kitui County, Kenya

Yageta

Osbahr

Morimoto³

et al. 2019

Geoderma

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Soil fertility is vital for agricultural productivity, yet poor soils and erosion remain a management challenge in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. One challenge is that soil scientists and farmers often evaluate soil fertility using different knowledge systems and the implications have not been clearly reconciled within the literature. In particular, whether farmers are observing similar aspects of structure and function as classified in soil science. If so, what can we learn about how soil fertility is evaluated and communicated in terms of developing a hybrid approach that improves communication of ideas between different stakeholders. This paper addresses this challenge by examining the similarities and differences between farmers' qualitative evaluation and soil science quantitative analysis for soil fertility classification, and how location of soils influence farmers' evaluation of soil fertility. Empirical fieldwork was carried out in two villages in Kitui County, Kenya with 60 farmers using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussion. Based on farmer perception, 116 soil samples of the best and worst soil fertility taken and analysed for physiochemical factors. Farmers had a consistent classification system and primarily relied on texture and colour as indicators for good soil fertility and texture alone for poor soils.Soils with fine texture under the local semi-arid climate were associated with higher pH, TOC and WHC and fertile black and red soils were associated with pH, TOC, WHC and AP based on differences in bed rock. Poor soil fertility was associated with sandy soils and soils with no colour in their local name. Spatial location is an important consideration in farmers' evaluations, reflecting awareness of local diversity in soil and historical social or environmental factors. Local historical narratives reveal the importance in changes to humus, consistent with technical knowledge about the role of soil organic matter for soil fertility. The paper provides better understanding of farmers' soil classification, evaluation processes and perspectives that help to inform scientists working with alternative frameworks for assessment and, in doing so, supports the development of local tailor-made soil assessment systems.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing farmers' qualitative evaluation of soil fertility with quantitative soil fertility indicators in Kitui County, Kenya

Yageta

Osbahr

Morimoto³

et al. 2019

Geoderma

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The adoption of rain water harvesting (RWH) for irrigation is one method of building resilience to the impacts of climate change. The adoption of RWH techniques can provide the opportunity to increase the water supply for irrigation, especially in arid and semi‐arid parts of Kenya (Oguge & Oremo, 2018). The Government of Kenya has accelerated water harvesting initiatives through the medium‐term plans of the National Adaptation Plan of 2015–2030 as part of enhancing climate change resilience (GOK, 2016a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Approximately four‐fifths of the land in Kenya is arid and semi‐arid. Interestingly, 80% of the population relies on the agricultural sector for their livelihoods (Oguge & Oremo, 2018). Agriculture in Kenya is mostly rainfed (GOK, 2019a), despite it being largely arid and semi‐arid land (ASAL).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The status and challenges of a modern irrigation system in Kenya: A systematic review

Kanda

Lutta

2022

Irrigation and Drainage

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The modernization efforts of the irrigation subsector in Kenya have been hampered by several challenges. This review describes the status and challenges facing irrigated agriculture in Kenya. The results indicated that as of 2018, the developed irrigation schemes covered an area of 222,240 ha, which is 16% of the irrigation potential of 1.34 million ha. Most large‐scale irrigation schemes use the furrow system. Private and commercial farms and smallholder irrigation schemes use modern irrigation systems. The major challenges to irrigation development are technical, socio‐economic, and institutional. The main technical challenges include poor water infrastructure, water scarcity, and poor water quality. The main socio‐economic challenges include the high cost of modern irrigation systems, inadequate credit facilities, and market inaccessibility. The institutional challenges include the existence of a pluralistic legal framework, inadequate participation by farmers, including women farmers, and poorly organized irrigation water user associations. However, the future of irrigation development is bright through climate change adaptation strategies such as solar‐powered irrigation systems and rainwater harvesting.

show abstract

“…These studies most commonly looked at food security as a standalone health impact, where the premise of the study was to assess food security within the household as a result of a particular programme 46,95,117 or as a case study or evaluation of current community food production practices. 15,20,45,66,73,120 When food security was evaluated in conjunction with other health impacts, they were almost exclusively nutrition status, dietary intake or malnutrition. 17,20,47,70,77,116,126 Both nutrition status (34.1%; n = 15) and dietary intake (31.8%; n = 14) were also prominent health impacts evaluated.…”

Section: Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systematic scoping review of the impacts of community food production initiatives in Kenya, Cameroon, and South Africa

Hutton

Brugulat-Panés

Bhagtani

et al. 2021

Journal of Global Health Reports

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, one in two people in Africa were food insecure. The burden of malnutrition remains high (e.g. childhood stunting, anaemia in women of reproductive age) or are increasing (e.g. overweight and obesity). A range of coordinated actions are required to improve this situation, including increasing local food production and consumption. The aim of this review was to provide a systematic and comprehensive overview of recently published research into the health, social, economic, and environmental impacts of community food production initiatives (CFPIs) in Kenya, Cameroon and South Africa. Methods We searched eight electronic databases covering health, social, environmental, economic and agricultural sciences. Primary research studies published from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2018 were considered. Data on geographic location, study design, type of CFPI and the impacts assessed were abstracted from eligible articles. Findings We identified 4828 articles, 260 of which required full-text review and 118 met our eligibility criteria. Most research was conducted in Kenya (53.4%) and South Africa (38.1%). The categories of CFPIs studied were (in order of decreasing frequency): crop farming, livestock farming, unspecified farming, fisheries, home / school gardens, urban agriculture, and agroforestry. The largest number of studies were on the economic and environmental impacts of CFPIs, followed by their health and social impacts. The health impacts investigated included food security, nutrition status and dietary intake. One study investigated the potential impact of CFPIs on non-communicable diseases. Over 60% of studies investigated a single category of impact. Not one of the studies explicitly used a theoretical framework to guide its design or interpretation. Conclusions Our findings on research studies of CFPIs suggest the need for a greater focus on interdisciplinary research in order to improve understanding of the relationships between their health, environmental, economic, and social impacts. Greater use of explicit theoretical frameworks could assist in research design and interpretation, helping to ensure its relevance to informing coordinated intersectoral interventions and policy initiatives. Diet, nutrition and food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa remain major public health concerns, with its people being some of the most nutritionally insecure in the world. 1 Factors compounding the risk of malnutrition and poor health are conflict, climate variability, poor infrastructure, and a dietary transition towards processed and ultra-processed foods that are energy dense as well as high in refined sugars, saturated fats, and salt. 2 This shift in dietary patterns, to

show abstract

Fostering the Use of Rainwater for Off-Season Small-Scale Irrigation in Arid and Semi-arid Areas of Kenya

Cited by 8 publications

References 3 publications

Comparing farmers' qualitative evaluation of soil fertility with quantitative soil fertility indicators in Kitui County, Kenya

Comparing farmers' qualitative evaluation of soil fertility with quantitative soil fertility indicators in Kitui County, Kenya

The status and challenges of a modern irrigation system in Kenya: A systematic review

A systematic scoping review of the impacts of community food production initiatives in Kenya, Cameroon, and South Africa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About