The Impact Of Cultivation On Above Ground Primary Production, Species Diversity And Density In The Rangelands Of Laikipia District, Kenya
Date
2011Author
Muthiani, E N
Njoka, J T
Kinyamario, J I
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Rangelands are traditionally used for livestock and wildlife production but have increasingly been put under crop cultivation in the recent past. Though land transformation for agricultural production has historic, economic, political and social justification, recent trends and rates of conversion of native habitats to crops have been shown to be decisive factors in species extinction. The study was designed to assess the effect of continuous cultivation on primary production by comparing production from cultivated fields with that from private ranching and communal grazing areas under livestock production. Crop production of maize and beans was determined from plots cultivated for over three and ten years respectively each with three treatments: planted without manure or fertilizer (T1), planted with manure (T2) and planted with fertilizer (T3). Primary production from Private commercial ranch (PR) and Communal grazing area (CG) were determined by clipping. Above ground herbaceous primary production was higher (P
URI
http://www.eaafj.or.ke/index.php/path/article/view/447http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/44986
Citation
East African Agricultural and Forestry Journal, Vol 77, No 1&2 (2011)Publisher
The Center for Sustainable Dryland Ecosystems and Societies, University of Nairobi
Subject
CultivationAbove Ground Primary Production
Species Diversity
Density
Rangelands
Laikipia District
Kenya
Description
Journal article