Browsing by Author "Muthee, Kennedy Wahome"
Item Ecosystem services in adaptation projects in West Africa(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2017) Muthee, Kennedy Wahome; Mbow, Cheikh; Macharia, Geoffrey Mugo; Leal-Filho, WalterPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which adaptation projects have incorporated ecosystem services, as well as their redesigning options. The projects selected are listed under National Adaptation Programme of Action in West African region. Design/methodology/approach – A desktop survey approach was used to review 168 projects from 13 countries across West Africa. The projects were categorized and analyzed according to their adaptation goal, thematic focus, their implementation duration and level of investment. Findings – The adaptation initiatives are dominated by actions in the agricultural sector accounting for 32 per cent of the total. Further, they were characterized by small grants consideration with 63 per cent falling under US$1m budget, short-term implementation duration with 46 per cent having three years’ execution period. A large portion of projects (55 per cent) mentioned directly one or more ecosystem services, with provisioning services being referred to in 50 per cent of the cases. Originality/value – Adaptation projects with ecosystem services components are more sustainable and beneficial to the community. Hence, more consideration of nature benefits during project design, more financial consideration and localizing of the projects to realize the global adaptation goal should be considered.Item Ecosystem Services in Climate Change Adaptation Projects in the Least Developed Countries of West Africa(Kenyatta University, 2018) Muthee, Kennedy WahomeEcosystems are largely dependent on the prevailing climatic conditions. The ever changing climate across the world has necessitated climate change adaptation projects as a coping mechanism to the adverse effects of climate change. The main objective of the study was to assess ecosystem services in climate change adaptation projects in the least developed countries of West Africa. Specifically, the study sought to; (i) assess the ecosystems changes in the Least Developed Countries of West Africa between 2000 and 2010; (ii) assess the trends in the climate change adaptation projects in the Least Developed Countries of West Africa between 2000 and 2010; (iii) evaluate the extent to which the climate change adaptation projects have incorporated ecosystem services in the Least Developed Countries of West Africa between 2000 and 2010 and (iv) evaluate areas of redesigning and improving climate change adaptation projects to enhance their ecosystem services. Different approaches were used in the study. Satellite images were used to sample the changes in the ecosystems to understand how it has changed in the entire region. Ecosystems degradation and changes have a direct impact on the climatic conditions of the region, noting that they play the essential role of capturing and storing the excessive carbon in the atmosphere. The study used desktop review approach to review 168 adaptation projects listed under the country specific National Adaptation Programs of Action in the studied least developed countries. The results showed a clear trend in the ecosystem changes. The forest covers in the three sampled countries i.e. Burkina Faso, Mali and Sierra Leone reduced by between 11% in Burkina Faso and 42% in Mali, while the Savanna increased by between 9% in Burkina Faso and 34% in Mali. The loss in forest cover translated to loss of carbon sinks and positively contributed to climate change in the region. There was also an increase in cultivated ecosystem in all countries and reduction in wetlands which all contributed towards climate change. The adaptation projects took a predicable trend whereby 32% were within agricultural sector, had generally low budget (63% had less than one million American Dollar budget) and midterm implementation duration (46% had 3 years implementation duration). About 55% of the studied projects directly mentioned one or more ecosystem services, with provisioning services being mentioned in 50% of these projects. The study also revealed that there exists opportunities to redesign the projects and improve their activities to enhance the community adaptation and mitigation to climate change effects. The adaptive measures included strengthening the ability of natural resources to play their roles while mitigation measures included creation of more carbon sinks through soil conservation and reforestation measures, investment in renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. The study concludes that the adaptation projects have considered different types of ecosystem services. It recommends increased contextualization of the climate change adaptation projects to address the community and environmental needs through more community engagement and use of technology to understand the social and environmental dynamics in a given area. The study also recommends further research on the impacts of the Great Green Wall project on the ecosystem servicesItem Socioeconomic Determinants of Adoption of Agroforestry Practices in the Central River Region of the Gambia(Kenyatta University, 2025-10) Muthee, Kennedy WahomeAgroforestry practices are increasingly gaining attention from both scientific researchers and policymakers in The Gambia. However, the actual adoption rates among smallholder farmers in the country remain low and the socioeconomic factors behind low adoption are scantly documented. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the socioeconomic factors influencing agroforestry practices adoption among smallholder farmers in the Central River Region of The Gambia. The specific objectives were to: (i) analyze how household and land factors influence adoption of agroforestry practices in the Central River Region; (ii) investigate how knowledge and perception influence adoption of agroforestry practices in the Central River Region; and (iii) assess how gender roles and preferences influence adoption of agroforestry practices in the Central River Region. A cross-sectional survey design was used in this study. Primary data was gathered from 380 selected households through a multistage sampling approach, using semi-structured questionnaires and observation guides. Qualitative data was collected from twelve key informants from relevant institutions and twenty-eight community leaders in the targeted areas through snowball and purposive sampling methods. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the sample while and inferential statistics were used to test relationships and association among different variables. Thematic analysis was used to collaborate and interpret qualitative data. The respondents were largely male (78%), with household head age ranging between below 30 and over 90 years of age. The mean household size ranged from 8.6 to 14.2 members. The main livelihood activity was small scale farming and livestock rearing estimated at 89%. Cattle were the dominant livestock in the area. They were largely (76%) fed through open grazing system with income generation being the main benefit as cited by 31.48% of the respondents. The study revealed that the agroforestry adoption rate in the study area was 52.3% and varied across the communities. Majority of the surveyed lands (84%) were not fenced exposing them to livestock intrusion, with over 74% of them exhibiting various forms of land degradation. There were significant differences between agroforestry adopters and non-adopters. Agroforestry adopters held and managed bigger sizes of land compared to non-adopters (an average of 0.66 ha vs. 0.55 ha). In terms of land ownership, most agroforestry adopters held most of the lands privately, with a clear fencing structure, compared to non-adopters whose lands were mainly held in a communal or shared arrangement with no clear fencing structures. Further, agroforestry adopters had a higher livestock numbers compared to non adopters (Tropical Livestock Unit mean of 3.47 vs 2.36). Using land size, land ownership, and Tropical Livestock Unit as indicators of wealth, it emerged that agroforestry adopters held more livelihood assets (were wealthier) than non-adopters. Soil erosion was less severe in areas where agroforestry practices were implemented. In terms of knowledge and perceptions, over 90% of the respondents recognized both the positive and negative statements associated with agroforestry practices. Tree planting was primarily driven by the need for food, fodder, energy supply, as well as income generation. Challenges such as water scarcity, transhumance, and wildfires were identified as major obstacles. Boundary planting emerged as the most common agroforestry practice, with Anacardium occidentalis (cashew), Gmelina arborea (Gmelina), and Mangifera indica (Mango) emerging as the top preferred tree species. Women-related challenges, including insecure land and tree tenure, insufficient training and capacity development opportunities, and an increased burden of household responsibilities, placed women at a disadvantage and lowered their adoption rates. The study recommended integrated policy and practice approaches to address the context-specific household and land barriers that hinder agroforestry adoption, in addition to facilitating the uptake process. It further recommends detailed assessment of gender involvement in agroforestry practices adoption based on the men and women realities in the study area