Assessment of land degradation in the river Loboi watershed of Baringo County, Kenya

Abstract

Increased human population pressure and climate change constitute the global underlying root causes of accelerated and devastating land degradation processes in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs). River Loboi watershed, located at the lower part of the Lake Baringo Catchment, is not an exception. The area is characterized by severe soil degradation that has resulted in excessive vegetation deterioration. This study set to assess the land degradation menace in the river Loboi watershed with specific objectives of determining the vegetation cover and composition, investigating the physiochemical condition of the soil as well as assessing the socio-economic status of the inhabitants. The study undertook a socio-ecological cross-sectional survey of some selected biophysical and socio-economic indicators of land degradation. Tools for data collection included structured questionnaire, observation schedules, laboratory analysis and oral histories. The measured variables were analysed using frequencies, crosstabulations, one-way ANOVA and correlation analysis. Except for correlation analysis, all the analyses were done at α =0.05 level of significance. The results indicated that the whole watershed is has undergone both soil and vegetation degradation. The locals are not able to curb this problem primarily due to lack of appropriate knowledge and financial constraints. The vegetation cover is 59.6% and the watershed has transformed from the typical ‘savannah’ onto a shrubland. This vegetation change has negatively impacted on the soil condition and as a result signs of massive gully erosion are enormous. In addition, the soils are of low fertility. In general, 87.5% of the watershed is highly degraded with the remaining 12.5% moderately degraded. The middle section (Simotwe location) is the most affected part (‘hotspot’) in the watershed. It recorded the least soil organic matter level of 1.3% and least vegetation cover of 51.4%. These results demonstrate the urgency of developing and establishing more effective and scientific ways to curb and monitor land degradation processes in the watershed.