Abstract
BackgroundThe arid and semi-arid lands experience inherently unpredictable rainfall and frequent droughts, which are exacerbated by climate change. This consequently leads to deterioration of land resources, and eventually forage and water shortages that negatively impact livestock productivity. In Kenya, development and government agencies have been supporting on-farm adaptation strategies such as water harvesting conservation structures to cope with climate hazards that affect agricultural production and food security in agro-pastoral and pastoral systems. The various water harvesting structures that have been promoted include Zai pits for growing crops and trees, water pans and shallow wells for livestock and domestic use, as well as for irrigation. However, the impact of such interventions with regard to improvement of range productivity and therefore welfare of agro-pastoral and pastoral communities has not been felt owing to low adoption rate by households.ResultsThis study determined social, economic and institutional factors influencing the adoption of water harvesting technologies by households in pastoral areas of Tana river County of Kenya. The data was collected through household survey, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The results show that access to extension services and training, level of monthly income, main source of livelihood, land tenure, membership in social groups and availability of active farm labor significantly influenced the adoption of water harvesting structures.ConclusionPastoralists therefore need to be mobilized and trained on how to construct and use water harvesting structures and sensitized on the potential socioeconomic benefits of adopting them.
Highlights
Rangelands make about 40%of the global land surface (Sutie et al 2005) and constitute approximately 69% of the world’s agricultural land (FAO 2009)
The results show that those who adopted the water harvesting structures (N = 204) were associated with a significantly (t(300) = 3.7, p = 0.00) larger herd size (Mean tropical livestock units (TLU) 28.9 ± 16) compared to non-adopters (N = 96) who had a smaller herd size (Mean TLU = 21.9 ± 12.9)
Gender was statistically significant (χ2 = 19.8, df = 1, p < 0.000) indicating that male headed households were more likely to adopt the water harvesting structures compared to their female counterparts (Table 3)
Summary
Rangelands make about 40%of the global land surface (Sutie et al 2005) and constitute approximately 69% of the world’s agricultural land (FAO 2009) They are important habitats for wild flora and fauna as well as for domestic livestock (Osano et al 2013). Rangelands are predominantly used for pastoralism, which is a low Pastoralists and agro-pastoralists are confronted with a variety of risks that constantly disrupt their livelihoods and devastate assets (Wasonga 2016). These risks, coupled with limited and increasingly ineffective. The arid and semi-arid lands experience inherently unpredictable rainfall and frequent droughts, which are exacerbated by climate change This leads to deterioration of land resources, and eventually forage and water shortages that negatively impact livestock productivity. The impact of such interventions with regard to improvement of range productivity and welfare of agro-pastoral and pastoral communities has not been felt owing to low adoption rate by households
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