Browsing by Author "Ndunda, E. N."

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Determinants of Farmers’ Choice of Innovative Risk-Reduction Interventions to Wastewater-Irrigated Agriculture
    (Academic Journals, 2013-01-08) Ndunda, E. N.; Mungatana, E.D.
    This paper identifies the innovative methods used by urban farmers to reduce the health and environmental risks linked to wastewater-irrigated agriculture in Nairobi, Kenya. A study involving 317 urban and peri-urban farmers was conducted and innovative methods identified for risk-reduction in wastewater irrigation. According to the results, the farmers’ choice of adaptation measures in wastewater irrigation was: No intervention (49.8%), crops restriction (21.1%), protective clothing (12.6%), safer application (8.8%), and irrigation cessation (7.6%). The estimated model had a robust explanatory ability since the likelihood ratio statistics were statistically significant (=222.13; p=0.000). The marginal analysis results show that the following factors significantly (p=0.005) influence the farmers’ choice of low-risk measures in wastewater irrigation: Household size, farming experience, membership to farmers group, access to credit, access to certified seed, access to media, crop income, awareness to World Health Organization irrigation guidelines, and awareness to wastewater hazards. Therefore, it was concluded that education support and creation of awareness about health risks in wastewater irrigation are important for enhanced adoption of risk-reduction technologies among the farmers. There is a need to design policies and programs that support farmers in safe wastewater irrigation, while raising their awareness on the health hazards attributed to untreated wastewater reuse.
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    Evaluating the impact of direct anthropogenic activities on land degradation in arid and semi - arid regions in Kenya
    (2013-06) Ndunda, E. N.; Muia, V. K.
    Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) in Kenya are at the brink of total destruction due to numerous human activities. The extensive land degradation has exposed huge tracks of land to continued water and soil erosion hence threatening livelihood of millions of inhabitants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of human activities on land in Kasikeu Division of Makueni County in Kenya. Survey research design was used was adopted in collection of cross-sectional data in Kiou, Mumela and Kasikeu locations in the division. Sample selection from the target population relied on multistage and simple random sampling methods to identify representative households. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses and regression analyses were used in analysis of the collected survey data. The results showed that there is wide spread environmental degradation as a result of human activities which has in turn affected the livelihood of the population in the study area. The study recommended a significant investment be made by the government through promotion of land use systems that provide permanent vegetative cover in order to protect the soil and prevent land degradation. The study also recommended a need for enforcement of policies to control and prevent further degradation
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    Evaluating the welfare effects of improved wastewater treatment using a discrete choice experiment
    (Journal of Environmental Management, 2013-07) Ndunda, E. N.; Mungatana, E. D.
    This paper employs the discrete choice experiment method to estimate the benefits of improved wastewater treatment programs to mitigate the impacts of water pollution in Nairobi, Kenya. Urban and peri-urban farmers who use wastewater for irrigation from Motoine to Ngong River in Nairobi were randomly selected for the study. A random parameter logit model was used to estimate the individual level willingness to pay for the wastewater treatment before reuse in irrigation. The results show that urban and peri-urban farmers are willing to pay significant monthly municipality taxes for treatment of wastewater. We find that the quality of treated wastewater, the quantity of treated wastewater and the riverine ecosystem restoration are significant factors of preference over alternative policy designs in reduction of water pollution.
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    Farmers' Perception and Knowledge of Health Risks in Wastewater Irrigation
    (Open Science Repository Natural Resources and Conservation, 2013-01-16) Ndunda, E. N.; Mungatana, E.D.
    This paper uses cross-sectional survey data to evaluate the farmers’ perception and knowledge of health risks in urban wastewater irrigation in Nairobi, Kenya. In order to identify the determinants of farmers’ perception on health risks of wastewater irrigation to farm workers and consumers of produced vegetables, analysis of the study used the ordered probit model. The results show urban and peri-urban farmers are aware of health hazards attributed to untreated wastewater irrigation. Empirical estimates indicate that age, gender, household size, education level, farming experience, credit access and farm income are key determinants of farmers’ perception on health-related risks due to wastewater irrigation. Therefore, there is need to sensitize the urban and peri-urban farmers about the health hazards and risk-reduction measures in wastewater irrigation. Additional research is required to analyse the health-risk perception of urban consumers of leafy vegetables in Kenya. This will provide additional information to decision-makers for policy formulation in wastewater irrigation by considering the demand side in the agricultural sub-sector.
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