Land In Kenya Research Articles

Beef Finishing on Range Grass and Legume Supplementation: The Unexploited Profitability Option in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya

Beef Finishing on Range Grass and Legume Supplementation: The Unexploited Profitability Option in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya

The negative and positive impacts of Prosopis juliflora on the Kenyan and Ethiopian ecosystems: A review study

Invasive alien species pose a serious threat to the world’s ecosystems and livelihoods. This review aimed to investigate the negative and positive impacts of Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC on ecosystems in Kenya and Ethiopia. The bibliographic analysis highlighted that Prosopis juliflora was introduced to Kenya and Ethiopia to tackle desertification, ensure the self-sufficiency of wood products, and conserve water and soil in semi-arid areas. Years later, this species has turned invasive; although the communities in infested areas have realized some benefits from this tree such as obtaining timber, charcoal, firewood, shelter, and livestock feed from its pods; the negative impacts of this tree have far outweighed the positives. Notably, this invasive plant has significantly impacted agricultural and livestock productivity by invading pasturelands and farmlands. For instance, the negative health implications for livestock significantly reduce their productivity. Similarly, this plant has reduced the diversity of the native trees, herbaceous, and grasses because of its ability to outcompete them. Control methods such as biological, mechanical, chemical, and control by utilization have been tried but none have so far been effective in controlling this invasive plant. Our results showed that Prosopis juliflora is a serious invader that has a huge potential to invade the arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya and Ethiopia. Therefore, stakeholders at all levels need to implement integrated management strategies to reduce the spread and the negative impacts of this species.

Oligarchy and proprietary rights on land in Kenya

This study sought to discuss oligarchy and proprietary rights on land in Kenya. Oligarch Landownership in Kenya has been a persistent problem, with few monarchs holding the larger tracks of land for their selfish gains, whereas the majority of the population, which comprises marginalised peasants, are left scrambling for the infertile leftovers, enough reason which triggered an investigation, a thorough research into how this came to be and its implications for proprietary rights. Through this research acting as a looking glass into this nightmare haunting most Kenyans, solutions are proposed to improve the solution and ensure that the core of justice and fairness are adhered to. Secondary sources were selected for data analysis from various academic sources and scrutinised for viability for inclusion in the study. A meta-synthesis of the selected samples was conducted, and literature gaps were identified in solutions to the proposed problem. The results from this study indicate that historical, political, and economic aspects in Kenya have played a major role in the grounding of oligarchy land ownership in Kenya. The study's conclusion includes examining the broader implications of oligarchic landownership for Kenya's social, economic, and political development. The study proposes several potential solutions and reforms, including advocating for comprehensive land reforms, fortified land administration systems, empowerment of marginalised groups, and cultivating accountability and transparency in land governance.

Sorting paper: The archival labour of digitising land records in Kenya

AbstractNairobi's land digitisation programme presents continuous challenges to the Kenyan state's aspirations of reforming land administration. By drawing upon insights from archival sciences and digital geographies, this paper argues that digitisation of Kenya's land administration records presents us with an opportunity to pay attention to how information flows from paper to digital systems, and the nature of human condition that makes it possible. Based on research of land digitisation initiatives in Nairobi and its peripheral counties, this paper explores first, how digitisation initiates a large‐scale state exercise of sorting paper in the land records departments that constitutes the archival apparatus of the state; and second, how the archival labour of state officials in this process is at the same time significant, invisible and devalued. Through interviews of state officials in county and state departments, we argue that the digitisation process is far more complex and messier than the rhetoric of seamless transition to automated land administration in Kenya. Digitisation involves a slow embodied labour in sorting paper by state officials who have little power in shaping the design of the platform that they are expected to use. The devaluation of the archival labour of state officials who are not professionally trained in ‘archival practice’ and are seemingly voiceless in the production of national land information platforms leads to subversion and non‐cooperation with the platform itself. The paper concludes that an expansive lens of seeing digital platforms through the tools and technologies of archiving practices enables us to understand why platforms fail, why and how paper increases value within digital systems and how archival labour is central to the politics of digitisation and platformisation in the future.

Community-Based Wildlife Conservation on Pastoral Lands in Kenya: A New Logic of Production with Implications for the Future of Pastoralism

Community-based wildlife conservation has been identified as a potentially successful approach to meet the needs of wildlife and the interests of local communities living among wildlife, national governments, and the global community interested in stemming the extinction crisis facing the planet. There is a significant literature critiquing the neoliberal approach to community-based conservation arguing that it has not been successful in meeting conservation goals or community goals. While in agreement with many of the critiques and the general calls for a more equitable direction that respects and draws on local and indigenous value systems, we focus on some of the implications of community-based conservation for pastoralism in Samburu County, Kenya. We employed an ethnographic approach, integrating informal and in-depth interviews, a random sample survey of 300 households, participant observation, and experimental economics games. Our findings show that the establishment of core areas, buffer zones, and grazing strategies that depart radically from previous practices reduced pastoralists’ access to critical rangeland resources and forced them to find pastures elsewhere. Thus, while community-based conservation purports to encourage landscape-level land management and coordination, in practice, it contributes to land fragmentation. Our results also explain why community-based conservation persists despite the costs for pastoralists.

Floristic Composition, Population Structure, and Recruitment Status of Plant Species: A Case Study of Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration Practices in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands in Kenya

Floristic Composition, Population Structure, and Recruitment Status of Plant Species: A Case Study of Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration Practices in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands in Kenya

Influence of Land Ownership Security on Land Use Changes in Mwatate Sub-County, Taita Taveta County, Kenya

Background and Aims: The rising global population has increased land demand due to the increased need for agricultural and settlement spaces. Land ownership security tremendously impacts environmental sustainability because it influences ecological decisions. Kenya's land ownership and land use changes nexus has not received sufficient attention. Consequently, we explored this research gap in Mwatate Sub County, Taita County, Kenya. Methods: A sample size of 301 households was selected using stratified proportionate and simple random sampling techniques. A cross-sectional survey research design was used, while data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires. The Neo-Malthusian theory was adopted as a theoretical framework. Results: Results revealed that most (85.6%) households had insecure land ownership rights. Most (64.1%) households inherited land and had no Title deeds. Accordingly, findings reveal unsustainable land use practices, including deforestation, tree logging, high fuelwood use, bush clearance for human settlement and cultivation, poor farming methods, and overreliance on agriculture for livelihood. Using a 95% confidence level, Chi-square tests revealed a significant relationship between agricultural land use changes and land ownership security. Our findings concluded that insecure land ownership influenced agricultural expansion, deforestation, clearing of land for human settlement, and the type of farming techniques adopted by farmers. Implications for Conservation: Taita Taveta is a vital biodiversity hotspot that continues to be degraded by human activities. The correlation between land ownership and land use changes established by our study confirms the impending land degradation and threat to biodiversity loss. This is coupled with the concern that approximately 62% and 11% of the county are under a National Park and sisal estates, respectively, implying a growing threat to biodiversity loss and the need for enhanced conservation efforts in the area. This calls for the need to address the constant land issues in the area to incentivize sustainable land use practices.

Postharvest Handling Practices and Hygiene Knowledge of Cowpea Leaves among Households in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands in Kenya

Cowpea leaves are highly perishable seasonal crops with limited utilization in the arid and semi- arid lands. The instituted coping strategies among households to enhance the availability of the vegetable for consumption are yet to be elucidated in any documented studies. The study sought to assess the post-harvest handling practices and hygiene knowledge in the arid lands of Kenya. A cross-sectional study involving 405 randomly selected households was used in Taita Taveta and Kitui Counties. A large percentage (97.5%) of households consumed cowpea leaves sourced from their farms. Households producing cowpea leaves in Taita Taveta County had less odds (OR=0.6) of having surplus produce than those from Kitui County (χ2=5.4, df =1, p<0.05). Major storage techniques for surplus produce among the households included drying (16.8%) and storage under low temperature (8.4%), there was a significant difference in the storage techniques between the two counties (p<0.05). Field heat management was only done among 55.3% households with the higher percentage (71.7%) being from Taita Taveta County (χ2=45.2, df=1, p<0.05). Some households have learnt some methods to extend the shelf life but have not been adopted, there was no statistical significance difference between the two counties on the adoption of the preservation methods (χ2=0.3, df=1, p>0.05). Losses are majorly attributed by poor storages facilities, at least 59.6 % of farmers from Taita Taveta lack these facilities and 40.4%/ from Kitui, with a significant difference (p<0.05, χ2=16.2). Both regions had poor hygiene and post-harvest handling knowledge scores with Kitui County having higher scores, A significant difference (p<0.05, x=33.2) in knowledge scores was noted between the two counties. In conclusion, post-harvest management practices in both counties are inadequate and need to be improved in order to increase utilization and reduce post-harvest losses.

Dairy goat production in Kenya: A review

In sub-Saharan Africa, dairy goat farming presents a viable option to ensure food and nutrition security in addition to playing an important socio-economic function among rural farmer households. Dairy goat production can improve people’s livelihoods mainly by providing milk for household nutrition and agro-income. Additionally, the dairy goat enterprise supplies breeding stock, meat, skins, fibre (hair), manure, and also acts as an insurance against emergencies. Further, in most rural households, dairy goats also serve socio-cultural functions including weddings, blessing ceremonies and circumcision rites, among others. In 2009, the dairy goat sub sector contributed about 15.2% of the total livestock and 4.8% of the overall household incomes in Kenya. Milk production is a high-priority function for those involved in dairy goat production. In the year 2006, exotic dairy goat genotypes (Alpines, Toggenburg and Saanen) were introduced in various semi-arid lands of Kenya which were characterised by low, erratic rainfall amounts (below 750 mm annually), high day temperatures (29o to 35o Celsius), insufficient and low quality feeds, inadequate health care and inappropriate husbandry practices. Dairy goats are more adapted to semi arid conditions and climate change in general than dairy cows due to their smaller body size and physiology and thus they are becoming more important to the dairy industry. Goat milk is more nutritious than cow milk, is more digestible and is thus recommended for young children, the sick and the aged. Besides, dairy goats can survive a myriad of biotic stresses including diseases and parasites, have low feed and labour requirements, need little start-up capital and thus can be raised by the vulnerable members of the society. This review was aimed at describing dairy goat production and related husbandry practices among dairy goat farmers in Kenya. Policy guidance on the necessary interventions to improve the sub-sector is provided based on identified opportunities and constraints. Key words: Kenya, dairy goats, production systems, productive performance, constraints, opportunities

Analysis of Rainfall and Temperature Trends and Their Implications on Green Gram Production in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya

Farmers have been facing numerous challenges in the production of green gram with declining yields being the main challenge. This can be attributed to the declining rainfall amounts and unreliable rainfall patterns, increased temperatures and high infestation of the crop by pests and diseases. In this study, climate data of the Makueni County on rainfall and temperature from 1991 to 2020 were obtained from the Kenya Meteorology Department. The data were analyzed in three sets; monthly, annual-monthly and seasonal time series. The analysis focuses on descriptive statistics and trend analysis. The results showed that there was no significant trend in the rainfall data at all three levels; monthly, annual-monthly and seasonal. The absence of a significant trend was associated with the high variability in the time series; hence, instability and unpredictability. The temperature time series exhibited positive linear trends where the maximum temperature increased by 0.003°C and the minimum temperature increased by 0.001°C per month. Such trends were detected in selected monthly as well as seasonal minimum and maximum temperature time series. The unpredictability of rainfall patterns and consistently but gradually rising temperature levels could be attributed to climate change. The crop optimum growing conditions are not attained, therefore, reducing production. Rapid deployment of integrated climate-smart farming techniques and adaptation strategies in the region is recommended for the green gram value chain to build resilience in the production of green gram to achieve sustainable yields.

The Influence of Information Security Management on Operational Performance of Humanitarian Value Chains in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya

Purpose: Managements of humanitarian organizations in arid and semi-arid lands have recently become sensitized to the vulnerability of their supply chains. This is due to an ever-increasing range of security breaches and disruptions that affect global value chains especially in information security management. The current study sought to determine the influence of information security management on the operational performance of humanitarian value chains in arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya.
 Methodology: The study adopted a cross-sectional design. A target population of 100 respondents was studied through census method from humanitarian organizations operating in arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information whereas descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The results were presented by use of tables.
 Findings: Scrutiny of the results of linear regression analysis indicated that information security management significantly predicted the operational performance of the organizations (r=.659, p=0.000).
 Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommends that humanitarian organizations should put measures into place to ensure access control and safe storage of information. Employees should also be trained in information security management to understand their role on overall organizational performance.

Land Records Digitization and Service Delivery in the Ministry of Lands in Kenya

The Kenya Ministry of Lands has been plagued with rampant delays in accessing land records, registry services and numerous clerical errors that have affected service delivery. It is evident that service delivery problems within the department have been problem for most policymakers which resulted in the launch of the National Lands Management Information System geared towards improving service delivery. There have however been minimal research efforts to determine how the systems has affected the ministry hence this study sought to examine the effect of digitization of land records management system on service delivery. The records continuum theory and the technology acceptance model formed the basis of this study. A descriptive approach was employed, and the population targeted of staff at the Ministry of Lands main registry at Ardhi House. The study sampled 154 officials within the headquarters at the Ministry of Lands who are involved in the lands records management system. Primary data was sourced using structured questionnaires developed under the guidance of the study objectives. Google forms supplemented the physical data to enhance the response rate. A pretesting was caried out on 10% of the sample participants to determine the research instruments’ validity and reliability. Data analysis focused both descriptive and inferential analysis. Findings were presented using charts and tables. The findings of the correlation tests established there is a strong positive and significant relation between digitization of land records (r = .806**, sig = .000<.05) and the service delivery at the Ministry of Lands in Kenya. This implies that a unit change in these variables will result in a unit change in the service delivery. The implementation of land records management system provides a technique and method for land planning, management quantification and rationalization together with quick inquiry, analysis and innovation of land information, provides supplementary support for decision making and improves the traditional land management system through computer technologies and communications network. The study recommended that the Ministry should put up appropriate training programs to keep its employees updated with the current job requirements and training should be geared to all employees regardless of their gender and job category. The study recommended that during the implementation of the land records management system, security should be of the paramount consideration while developing software and processing data and the need of security policies has to be clearly told to all the employees working in the Ministry and they should be directed to adhere to these policies. The study also recommended that an Integrated Land Information Management System should be properly implemented. This will ensure that the Ministry delivers services to the expectations of the clients.

Ecological Violations and Anthropogenic Pollution in Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Wizard of the Crow

ABSTRACT Ecological violations and anthropogenic pollution have been recurring motifs in contemporary African novels. Existing studies on African literature from the ecological standpoint have focused largely on the narrative strategies of nature writing, with little attention given to the impacts and the attendant eco-social and economic crisis of the violations. This study therefore examines the extent of human activities on the environment and the eco-social and economic impacts on both human and non-human objects in Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Wizard of the Crow. Anthropocene developed by Adam Trexler, which is a variant of ecocriticism, is used as a framework in this study because it accounts for attitudes that are unhealthy for the environment, while interpretive design is adopted for critical analysis. Ngũgĩ’s Wizard of the Crow is selected because it reflects on ecological concerns and depicts the motif of a polluted environment. In the text, the conspiracies of the internal collaborators with foreign powers lead to the massive violation of land in Kenya. Conspiracies between the privileged locals and the settlers distort and violate environmental harmony in a way that creates tension for ecological regeneration and social tranquillity. It is also established that environmental disasters in Kenya and Africa in general, are largely man-made as seen in the activities of most of the characters in the novel. Although Ngũgĩ uses metaphorical and grotesque images in the text, they refract his society ecologically. There are sustained struggles between male and female characters in the novel that are geared towards the preservation of the environment. This underscores the fact that environmental activism knows no gender colouration. This novel points out that there can never be meaningful development in Kenya until the ecosystem is made secure from human corruption and the environment is devoid of carbon pollution and injustice. To Ngũgĩ, healing the land is a concerted effort that cannot be done by one person. Ngũgĩ’s Wizard of the Crow creates awareness about environmental exploitation by the microscopic few of Kenya and indeed Africa.

Economic Analysis of Feeding Locally Formulated and Commercial Milk Replacer to Camel Calves in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya

Despite the huge potential for the growth of camel herds, calf mortality remains a challenge among the pastoral camel keepers in Kenya. This is due to competition for milk by calves and households for domestic consumption and trade among other factors. Adoption of Commercial Milk Replacer (CMR) and locally formulated Plant Based Milk Replacer (PBMR) as an alternative to camel milk feeding has the potential of improving the camel calves’ nutrition and household income. Ten camel calves were randomly assigned to two separate diets; PBMR and CMR, five in each diet, for 70 days. A control group of 5 calves on the pastoral milk feeding regime was also observed. Calves on PBMR were confined throughout the experimental period while calves on CMR were not confined but fed 2 litres of CMR daily. All the calves were weighed weekly. This study employed a Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) to assess the financial viability of using PBMR and CMR as a replacement to camel milk. Costs which included milk replacer and labour were captured and extrapolated for ten years to show the benefits of PBMR over CMR. Net Present Values (NPV), a financial analytical tool that shows viability of each feeding regime was then calculated. The results showed that it is more economical to feed calves using PBMR (5) compared to CMR (3) or pastoral feeding regime (3). The study recommends promotion of PBMR among pastoral camel keepers for improvement of nutritional status of suckling camel calves and household income.

The creation of capitalist time: Rethinking primitive accumulation through conservation

Scholars have revived the concept of primitive accumulation to describe how explicit violence is an ongoing and structural, rather than simply historical, tool for capitalist domination. However, the relationship between the logic of capitalism and history of capitalism remains obscured. Capitalism is politically enforced and hegemonic, but ongoing instances of capitalist violence repeatedly appear as though they were breaking new ground or finding new frontiers for capitalist growth. In this paper, I offer a novel framework for understanding how primitive accumulation not only creates a capitalist material order but also a temporal order that motivates and reproduces capitalist violence. Focusing on Maasai conflicts over conservation lands in Kenya and Tanzania, I describe how primitive accumulation imposes the historical narratives that naturalize capitalism, ecological rhythms that suppress competing lifeways, and identity categories that marginalize dispossessed populations by characterizing them as primitive. This account advances key debates about settler-colonialism, racial capitalism, and potential resistance by clarifying how disproportionate harm against particular populations is justified, how those justifications reproduce and naturalize capitalist domination, and how temporality represents not only a site of domination but also political struggle.

Deep Learning for Vegetation Health Forecasting: A Case Study in Kenya

East Africa has experienced a number of devastating droughts in recent decades, including the 2010/2011 drought. The National Drought Management Authority in Kenya relies on real-time information from MODIS satellites to monitor and respond to emerging drought conditions in the arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya. Providing accurate and timely information on vegetation conditions and health—and its probable near-term future evolution—is essential for minimising the risk of drought conditions evolving into disasters as the country’s herders directly rely on the conditions of grasslands. Methods from the field of machine learning are increasingly being used in hydrology, meteorology, and climatology. One particular method that has shown promise for rainfall-runoff modelling is the Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) network. In this study, we seek to test two LSTM architectures for vegetation health forecasting. We find that these models provide sufficiently accurate forecasts to be useful for drought monitoring and forecasting purposes, showing competitive performances with lower resolution ensemble methods and improved performances over a shallow neural network and a persistence baseline.

The Strategies of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) With Global Environmental Facility (GEF) To Promote Sustainable Land Management

International organizations playing a important role in overcoming various issues in the World. Based on this case UNDP is determined to assist every country in carrying out sustainable development, in this case Environmental Issues have a greater impact on the continuity of human security. This happens based on the basis of 2 things, which are the act of human activity itself or from natural changes. One of the environmental issues that are often faced in every countries is land degradation, this environmental issue is also experienced by Kenya as a country from the East African continent where many of the people depend on livelihoods from the agricultural sector especially Argo-Pastoral. The cases of land degradation with the variations state of the land type give socio-economic impacts for the people and communities whose livelihoods depend on the land. The existence of an international organization which is UNDP as a means to help environmental issue in Kenya land degradation by applying a sustainable land management system. In this study the author will conduct a study with the aim of analyzing the strategy of the International Organization, which UNDP in applying a sustainable land management system in cases of land degradation so that it can provide results for the production system of the Argo-Pastoral. This research is taken from the UNDP and GEF projects that have been ongoing from 2011-2016 with the name Mainstreaming Sustainable Land Management in Argo-Pastoral Production System of Kenya

Assessment of Population Status of Melia Volkensii Gürke and Diversity of Tree Species in Kasaala Location in Kitui County Kenya

This study was conducted to evaluate the population status of Melia volkensii and the diversity of tree species in Kasaala Location in Kitui County. Subsequently assessing the natural regeneration of M. volkensii and thus promote its propagation and conservation in the dry lands of Kenya. Plant population was determined in situ across seven transect lines measuring 1050 meters in length. Sampling was carried out in five plots measuring 50 × 50 meters established at intervals of 1,000 meters. Transect 1 and 7 were laid in farmland while the transects between these two were laid in bushland. All tree species represented in each plot were counted. Height and diameter at breast height (DBH) were measured for all M. volkensii trees within the plots. Melia volkensii seedlings and coppices were counted in 5 × 5 meter nested plots within the larger plots. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 95% confidence interval was used to test for variance in parameters measured and means separated using Tukey’s HSD. There were significant differences in mean number of height and DBH of M. volkensii that were found in transect one and two. Transect 2 had the lowest mean height and DBH while the tallest trees were in the other transects. Tukey honestly significant difference (HSD test) was used to test separation of means (of mature trees and coppices of M. volkensii). There were no significant differences between the mean number of coppices and seedlings found in transect two and four. Moreover, relative abundance, species richness and diversity of plant species observed were analyzed using Simpson’s index of biodiversity and Shannon-Wiener species diversity index. Melia volkensii was the most frequently occurring species with 12.2% (n=67) followed by Acacia tortilis10.0% (n=55). Calotropis strophela, Commiphora capensis, Maerua crassifolia were the least represented relative abundance of 0.18%. Values of indices used varied among transects and did not follow the location of transect implying that diversity was not determined by land disturbance. Based on diversity and relative abundance of M. volkensii and associated tree species in the study area, the results show clearly that the risk of tree depletion in Kasaala Location has no significant effects on the population status of M. volkensii.

Trends and constraints of utilization of preserved cowpea leaves among households in arid and semi-arid lands in Kenya: a convergent mixed method study

BackgroundAs much as local communities have employed traditional techniques of preservation to enhance availability and utilization of cowpea leaves, the efficiency of these techniques in achieving food security need to be established. The current study sought to document trends and constraints of utilization of preserved cowpea leaves in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) in order to overcome of seasonal availability of the vegetable.MethodA mixed method convergent design that included household survey of randomly sampled cowpea producing households and focus group discussion and key informant interviews with stakeholders in the ASAL areas of Kitui and Taita Taveta Counties of Kenya was conducted.ResultsThe study found that the utilization of preserved forms of cowpea leaves in the in-season was by 58% of the respondents. Three quarters (73.6%) of the households could not get the vegetables from their own sources during scarcity, whereas 25% did not consume the vegetables at all at such times. The preserved forms of the vegetables was utilized among 24.0% of the households, with significantly (p < 0.05) higher utilization in less arid areas. Households that were involved in commercialization of cowpea leaves and sale of the preserved forms in the open air market had significantly higher likelihood (p < 0.001, OR = 2.47 and p < 0.001, OR = 2.3, respectively) of utilization of the vegetables during scarcity. Emerging themes from the qualitative survey showed that weaknesses in the policy environment, stakeholder interest, marketing and accessibility to proper equipment were the deterrents of traditional preservation of the vegetable.ConclusionIn conclusion, the preserved forms of cowpea leaves promoted availability of the vegetable especially in the dry seasons. In as much as there is limited practising of preservation of the vegetables, its availability is enhanced through dehydration and other value-addition techniques among a significant number of the households.

Historical Climatic Trends and Smallholder Farmers' Perceptions of Climate Variability and Change in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya

This article presents an overview of smallholder farmers' perceptions of climate variability and change in synchrony with historical climate trends in Machakos County, Kenya. Farmers' perceptions were obtained using focus group discussions and household interviews. Monthly rainfall and temperature (minimum and maximum) data for the period of 1983-2014 were obtained and used in the analysis. The interview data were analyzed using descriptive statistics while data from the focus group discussions were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The Mann-Kendall test and linear regression analysis were used to detect statistically significant climate trends. Meteorological data provided some evidence to support farmers' perceptions of changes in rainfall and temperature. The Mann-Kendall test revealed statistically significant rainfall and temperature trends. The linear regression analysis showed increasing trends for both rainfall and temperature. Most farmers (77.7%) perceived decreasing amounts of seasonal rainfall contrary to analyzed seasonal rainfall trends, which showed an increase in seasonal rainfall. The experienced changes and variations in rainfall and temperature expose the farming systems to climate change risks. To support smallholder farmers in managing the increasing climate change risks, there is a need to enhance their adaptive capacity through effective adaptation planning and implementation.