N.K.R. Musimba

Development of and Policy on the Range and Pastoral Industry with Special Reference to Kenya

Abstract In the present paper an attempt has been made to study proper guidelines on the integration of the use and conservation of rangeland resources, such as grazing lands, vegetation, soils, animals, and water, are necessary for the success of rural-based projects. Policies related to land ownership are also important. Land tenure change, for example, from communal use to individualization in Kenya has led to restriction of nomadic pastoralism. Curtailment of mobility, which has been vital for the survival of the pastoralists and their herds, has been associated with the deterioration of the well-being of the pastoralists, as a consequence.

The Socio-economic and Ecological Impacts of Small-scale Irrigation Schemes on Pastoralists and Drylands in Northern Kenya

Abstract Northern Kenya, as in other sub-Saharan arid and semi-arid regions, has faced challenges related to the prevailing socio-economy, ecology and polity in the last quarter of last century. In some of these areas, pastoralists have been settled on the peri-urban fringes of towns and have been exposed to flood-retreat cultivation; a culture that has been traditionally practised by the riverine Bantu communities. From the late 1960s these pastoralists started irrigation agriculture with assistance from the government and nongovernmental organisations. The outcome has been the mushrooming of irrigation schemes along rivers. This paper looks at the development of small-scale irrigation schemes and their sustainability. It also analyses their socio-economic and ecological effects on pastoral households and the drylands, taking Garissa District as a case. Interviews, a questionnaire and existing literature on irrigation schemes were used to collect data. Logistic regressions were carried out to assess the socio-economic effects of irrigation on the pastoral households. The results show that irrigation farming plays a supplementary role in pastoral economies, takes away child labour from pastoralism and reduces pastoral mobility. The implication is that irrigation farming in arid areas does not seem to offer a long-term sustainable economic livelihood.

The nutritional value of Zizyphus spina-christi for goat production among the pastoralists of Kalu district, South Wello, Ethiopia

Fifteen yearling goats of similar weight were used to evaluate the potential of Zizyphus spina-christi leaves as a supplement to goats fed on Cynodon dactylon grass. Animals were randomly assigned to five feeding regimes and individually stall-fed for a preliminary period of 14 days, followed by 14 days of feeding to determine dry matter intake and digestibility and a 3-month feeding period to determine body weight changes. The treatments were formulated based on leaf:grass ratios of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. Z. spina-christi leaves had higher crude protein and lower fibre content than C. dactylon grass (P < 0.05). Dry matter intake, digestibility and body weight changes increased significantly (P < 0.05) as the level of supplementation increased. Thus, Z. spina-christi foliage is a potential feed supplement in the dry season, as the dry season grasses are deficient in the required nutrients and cannot meet goat requirements.