An Evaluation of Potential Sustainable Land Management Practices to Enhance Watershed Ecosystem Services in Upper Tana Catchment: a Case Study of Kirurumwe River, Ena Basin in Embu County, Kenya.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore and evaluate the potential of sustainable land management practices to enhance watershed ecosystem services in upper Tana catchment basin in Mt Kenya region. The study was conducted in Nembure location of Manyatta Constituency in Embu County. The focus of the study was communities living adjacent and within Kirurumwe River, the target population was 15,833 people. Both quantitative and qualitative research strategies were used to conduct the research. Cross sectional survey design was adapted with a view of improving the promotion and adoption of sustainable land management practices in coffee ecological zone of this catchment. Probability and non-probability sampling strategies were employed during the study to determine the sample size. Data was collected using both primary and secondary sources. Findings of the study in upper Tana catchment region showed that most farmers have adopted sustainable land management practice the most common being agro-forestry, terraces, rotation system, cover crop and mulching. Based on these findings, future success in adoption of sustainable land management practices requires deliberate and pragmatic efforts from project implementers, farmers, policy makers, and extension agents. The results of this study indicate that awareness, capacity building, benefits and incentives significantly influences uptake of SLM enhancing innovations. As such, interventions by project implementers need to be targeted at increasing the benefits rewards. This study, therefore, aims at generating empirical evidence that will inform policy and decision making processes at all levels on the importance of integrating environmental considerations into economic planning and policies with a view to influencing attitude and behavioral change, with special reference to community participation in natural resource management