Competition of the active roots of Cassia siamea Lam. and Zea mays L.(cv.Katumani Composite B) in an alley cropping trial in semi arid Kenya

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＯｎｅｏｆｔｈｅｍａｊｏｒｄｒａｗｂａｃｋｓｏｆａｌｌｅｙｃｒｏｐｐｉｎｇｓｙｓｔｅｍｓｉｎｓｅｍｉａｒｉｄｌｏｗｆｅｒｔｉｌｉｔｙｃｏｎｄｉｔｉｏｎｓｉｓｃｏｍｐｅｔｉｔｉｏｎｆｏｒａｖａｉｌａｂｌｅｗａｔｅｒａｎｄｎｕｔｒｉｅｎｔｓ．Ｃｏｍｐｅｔｉｔｉｏｎｉｓｔｏｂｅｅｘｐｅｃｔｅｄｉｆｔｈｅｔｒｅｅａｎｄｔｈｅｃｒｏｐｈａｖｅｏｖｅｒｌａｐｐｉｎｇａｃｔｉｖｅｒｏｏｔｓｙｓｔｅｍｓｉｎｓｐａｃｅａｎｄｔｉｍｅ．Ａｋｎｏｗｌｅｄｇｅｏｆｔｈｅｓｐａｔｉａｌｄｉｓｔｒ…     

Pesticide handling practices by vegetable farmer in Kenya

Pesticide handling practices have a strong bearing on the exposure of toxic effects to target and nontarget organism. A clear understanding of determinants of pesticide handling practices is a precondition in the design and implementation of policy intervention. To accomplish this, a household survey of 425 respondents was conducted in 2008. Majority of the farmers (85 %) had inappropriately handled pesticides, mainly through, unsafe storage (23 %), unsafe disposal of leftover in either sprays solutions, or rinsate and empty pesticide containers (40 %), failure to wear the required minimum protective gear (68 %), or overdosed pesticides (27 %). However, majority of those farmers were aware of the risks of pesticide use, with over 81 % expressing the view that pesticides have harmful effects on human health, livestock, beneficial arthropods, and on water. Econometric models showed that pesticide handling practices were significantly influenced by variation in record keeping, main source advice on pesticide use, toxicity of pesticide, and geographical location. Pesticide risk perception and negative impacts experiences had no association with handling practices. The study recommends policymakers to design effective, participatory, and location targeted outreach programmes, which deal specifically on promotion of record keeping and reduction in use of harmful pesticides.     

Leaf area development, dry weight accumulation and solar energy conversion efficiencies of Phaseolus vulgaris L. under different soil moisture levels near Nairobi, Kenya

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＫｅｎｙａ○ｓｈｉｇｈｐｏｐｕｌａｔｉｏｎｇｒｏｗｔｈｒａｔｅｈａｓｃｒｅａｔｅｄｐｒｅｓｓｕｒｅｏｎｔｈｅｈｉｇｈｐｏｔｅｎｔｉａｌａｒｅａｓ．Ｔｈｉｓｈａｓｒｅｓｕｌｔｅｄｉｎｔｈｅｍｉｇｒａｔｉｏｎｏｆｐｅｏｐｌｅｔｏｕｎｃｕｌｔｉｖａｔｅｄ“ｍａｒｇｉｎａｌ”ｌａｎｄｓｗｈｉｃｈｍａｋｅｕｐａｂｏｕｔ８０％ｏｆｔｈｅｃｏｕｎｔｒｙａｎｄａｒｅｐｒｅｄｏｍｉｎａｎｔｌｙｏｆｌｏｗａｇｒｉｃｕｌｔｕｒａｌｐｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｖｉｔｙ（Ｈｏｒｎｅｔｚ，１９９０）．Ｔｈｅｓｅ…     

Community Based Interventions as a Strategy to Combat Desertification in the Arid and Semi-Arid Rangelands of Kajiado District, Kenya

Vegetation degradation, especially the disappearance of woody vegetation and a diminished grass cover, has aroused the concern of the Maasai community (semi-nomadic pastoralists) of Kajiado District, Kenya. The district is one of Kenya’s arid and semi-arid districts. Over recent years, they have observed their land resources deteriorate due to the desertification process caused by the land use practices of man. They have identified indicators of desertification such as increase of bare lands, which have been invaded by previously unknown grasses and weeds that are of no economic value, and also the disappearance of some useful plant species. It is due to the above concerns that a group of 30 farmers have been very keen to participate in on-farm research to strategize on ways to halt and even reverse the desertification process. The participatory research has identified useful trees that the farmers have been planting around homesteads, as woodlots on their farms to provide woodfuel, shade, and to act as windbreaks. They have also identified species for planting as live fences instead of using thorny tree branches as fencing material, which contributes further to the desertification process. Due to the termite menace on young tree seedlings, the farmers use indigenous knowledge to prepare concoctions using locally available materials, which they apply to planting holes and on seedlings. During awareness campaigns, the farmer research group highlights the need to conserve vegetation resources and also expounds on the concept of planting two trees after one is felled.