Community capacity building as an opportunity for sustainable land management: lessons from Ndome and Ghazi in Taita-Taveta district, Kenya.

Abstract

The prevalence of land degradation, particularly in developing countries, would suggest that sustainability has remained more in the conceptual phase and not been transformed into a problem solving aid/tool. In this paper, which is based on an erosion study of 1996-99 in semi-arid Ndome and Ghazi agro-ecosystems in Taita-Taveta, Kenya, it is argued that failure to develop capacities of individual land users for problem solving is the root cause of this problem. Further, targeting community needs and priorities within the domain of poverty alleviation presents the most practical entry point towards sustainable land management. It is concluded that effective management of land users through community capacity building (CCB) is the single most important entry point in this endeavour. What constitutes CCB and its role in a functional model towards sustainable land management is the focus of this paper.