Agricultural practices and soil and water conservation in the transboundary region of Kenya and Uganda: farmers’ perspectives of current soil erosion

Abstract

Poor agricultural practices among small-scale sub-Saharan African farmers can lead to soil erosion and reduce agricultural productivity. However, information on such practices is normally not well documented, making it challenging to design future mitigation strategies. We conducted a fine-scale agricultural survey on 200 farm households within the transboundary Sio Malaba Malakisi River Basin (SMMRB) between Kenya and Uganda to quantify the frequency and type of soil conservation practices (SWCPs) implemented. Information on farm sizes, ownership, crops grown, soil fertility, soil erosion, soil water conservation practices, and the decision-making processes was collected. Descriptive and chi-squared statistics were used to present trends in land use, decision-making processes and the extent of adoption of SWCPs, as well as to analyse the relationship between the SWCPs and the farmers’ perceptions on soil erosion. The region showed highly fragmented farms (mean area: 0.6 ha), primarily practising rain-fed subsistence farming. The principal decision-makers of each farm were mainly (63%) male. Various farmers (28%) lacked soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs). However, most farmers (35%) implemented one type of soil and water conservation practice, while 37% practised a combination of two to five soil and water conservation practices. Extensive soil and water conservation practices such as intercropping were widely practised as they were more affordable than intensive measures. Results on the farmers’ perceptions on soil erosion showed that most farmers in the SMMRB reported soil erosion (60%) and even more (92%) reported to have experienced a loss of soil fertility over the last 5 years. There was a significant positive correlation (X2 (2, n = 198) = 92.8, p = < 0.001) between the perception of soil erosion and the perception of the change in soil fertility, suggesting that reducing soil erosion could result in a reduction in the loss of soil fertility. Thus, there is still a need for strategies and measures to address the soil erosion risks currently faced by Sio Malaba Malakisi River Basin farmers. This study is a baseline study that shows the importance of farmers’ perceptions on the practice of soil and water conservation measures in the Sio Malaba Malakisi River Basin and therefore becomes an important avenue for improving the currently practised soil and water conservation measures as well as developing adoption programs as well as future studies that combine scientific and farmers’ perception/knowledge for sustainable agriculture. Further research into the efficiency of currently adopted SWCPs as well as the extent of the farmers’ knowledge and the accuracy of their perceptions is recommended.