Adoption of Sustainable Bamboo Farming to Mitigate the Effects of Soil Degradation and to Improve Livelihood in Kinale, Kiambu County, Kenya
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Date
2023-11
Authors
Maina, Joy Wamahiga
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Bamboo is a perennial flowering plant with a distinctive life cycle: many bamboo
species remain in the vegetative phase for decades, followed by mass synchronous
flowering and SUbseql{ent death. Bamboos are grasses (Poaceae) that are widespread
In trop ical and Sl,l‘t'troplcal regions with the potential to increase forests cover owing to
their 'morphologlcal fast growth. This study aimed at i.) identifying the level of use in
sustainable bamboo farming curbing effects of soil degradation, ii.) evaluating the level
of COI{HHMI'EY awareness on bamboo farming and its environmental benefits, and iii.)
assessing the importance of Bamboo as non-wood plant to sustain and improve
community livelihoods. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 192
respondents within Kinale region, Kiambu County during a survey to gather
information on bamboo farming and its impacts in curbing soil degradation. The data
was analyzed on IBM® Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), Version 21.
Results showed that 56.2% of the respondents in Kinale region Kiambu County were
involved in bamboo farming whereby the odds were about twice (1.821, 95% CI, Lower
limit =1.11; Upper limit=2.997) as great as the odds of their counterparts. Among
respondents involved in bamboo farming, the highest variance of 35.8%, 29.4% and
21.33% were from respondents that considered bamboo as a sustainable alternative to
trees, aware of deforestation and degradation and bamboo farming for income
generation, respectively. A respondent considering bamboo as a suitable alternative to
trees was twice more likely to be involved in bamboo farming [Exp (B)= 1.963, 95%
CI: 0.179, 7.307, p=0.032] whereas that who considered bamboo for income
generation, was thrice [Exp (B)= 3.058, 95% CI: 0.433, 2.005; p=0.025]. Bamboo
farming awareness was through Agricultural Extension Officers, Community Based
Organizations and Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) as reported by 46.9%,
40.1% and 13%, respectively. Majority of 83.4% practice bamboo farming for
monetary benefits compared to 16.6% that is for environmental benefits. Notably,
43.2% of the respondents reported environmental improvement associated with
bamboo farming. Among the bamboo farming products, posts, chairs and baskets were
reported by the majority of 30.9%, 27.2% and 20.2% of the respondents, respectively.
A K-mean analysis revealed two clusters based on variables environmental-related and
economic sustainability livelihood-related. In the first cluster, both variables: a
sustainable alternative to trees and Land improvement or reclamation had a significant
impact on its aggregation. However, in the second cluster, variables: bamboo as a
source of income, household size and literacy level had a significant impact on its
aggregation whereas variable: main source of income has none. The majority of 77.8%
of the respondents involved in bamboo farming were in Ksh. > 2,000 - < 8,000 earning
categories. Therefore, the study had shown the potential of bamboo farming in
mitigating soil degradation, sustain and improve community livelihoods.
Description
A Research Thesis Submitted in Partial Fultilment of the Réquirements for the Degree of Master of Environmental Studies and Community Development in the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences of Kenyatta University, November 2023
Keywords
Sustainable Bamboo, Farming, Mitigate, Soil Degradation, Livelihood, Kinale, Kiambu County, Kenya