Effects of land tenure status on land productivity and sustainable livelihood in the traditional pastoral areas of Kenya: a case of Narok District.

Abstract

This Thesis analyzed the effects of land tenure status on land productivity and sustainable livelihoods in the traditional pastoral areas in Narok District, and recommended policy guidelines to the government and other stakeholders. Land tenure status is a critical concern facing traditional pastoral areas in Kenya, especially in Narok District. It affects production activities and influences livelihoods. Rapid population growth, deferring individual preferences amongst the communities, the existing legal framework and inappropriate technologies within the fragile ecosystem, pose a great challenge to sustainable livelihoods in these areas. The main objective of the study was to specifically analyze the effects of land tenure status on land productivity, its influence on the intensity of land degradation and its effects on sustainable management of land resource in terms of investment decisions on land improvement. A survey was conducted in Narok District between October and December 2004. One hundred fifty (150) household heads were interviewed in thirty-eight (38) villages: within five (5) Locations spread over two (2) Divisions in the medium and marginal areas in the District. The selection of the survey villages was accomplished through a stratified random sampling. The concept of group ranches was used as basis for the study and adopted three models; Cobb-Douglas production function for land productivity, Tobit model for intensity of land degradation and Multinomial Logit model for investment decisions on land improvement. The models were estimated and the parameter estimates were interpreted. The major findings of the study revealed that the effects of land tenure change from the group ranch system decreased household size, increased formal education levels. decreased reliance on livestock keeping as the sole source of livelihood. increased infrastructural and residential status development from traditional hut to modem buildings, decreased factor inputs productivity, increase access to credit. decrease household vulnerability to drought, increased the number of alternative livelihood activities, increased investment decisions on land improvement, increased technological transformation from simple tools to modem machinery and increased intensity and accelerate land degradation. Therefore. the study concluded that land tenure status affects land productivity and influenced livelihood activities, and moreover, subdivision of the group ranches into individually owned parcels in The study recommend the government to review the existing legal framework and formulate ASALs policy with clear guidelines on land subdivision which is based on resource potential that recognizes indigenous tenure systems and entrench gender concerns in land distribution. The government and other stakeholders should invest in formal education efforts, environmental conservation, and value adding processes backed up with appropriate technology in line with alternative livelihood strategies such as dairy goats, bee keeping, poultry and tourism related micro enterprises among others. The government through. microfinance agencies should provide infrastructural development loans to establish individual water sources and fodder development for each privately owned parcel. The development plan should focus on community capacity building and strengthening household vulnerability initiatives through effective institutional drought management measures. The plan should seek to provide market outlet both locally and internationally that takes in large number of livestock especially times of stress such as drought. These recommendations are geared to guarantee sustainable livelihoods for inhabitants of the area