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Identification of the Weather Shocks Associated With Rainfall in Kisii Central Sub County , Kisii County , Kenya
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Otiso Masese, Clifson Ondimu Nyabuti, Kennedy Mironga Momanyi, John M. |
| Copyright Year | 2016 |
| Abstract | Agricultural productivity in Kenya, as in many developing countries, is significantly affected by rainfall variability. The reliability of the rain for agricultural purposes has reduced in the recent years due to climate variability and change. In the study area, there is a continued trend of more frequent and intense climate related disasters which is expected to have significant impacts on the livelihood activities. Most studies on the impact of climate variability on farming practices and the response strategies have mainly focused on arid and semi-arid regions of Kenya and have used community level data. Information on actual dynamics of lowest possible level such as a household in high potential areas like Kisii is scanty. This study was aimed at identifying the weather shocks associated with rainfall in Kisii Central Sub County, Kisii County, Kenya. Structured questionnaires were administered to a proportionate random sample of 120 households from the four administrative divisions of the sub county. Information from questionnaires were also complemented by oral interviews with key informants from Water Resources Management Authority (WRMA), KARI (currently KALRO), Ministry of Agriculture and FGDs in the study area. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data with the help of Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20). The study revealed that gross changes in rainfall patterns have been noticed in the past ten years in the study area. Changes in rainfall patterns in the study area were mainly in form of raining later than normal, unpredictable/erratic rains and longer droughts. These incidences of climate change and variability present a number of socioeconomic and environmental challenges. This study concludes that government (county and national) should realize the urgent need for measures that are geared towards reversing the negative impact of climate change and especially rainfall variability in the study area. The noted gross changes in rainfall patterns noticed in the past ten years have been proved to affect agricultural (crop and livestock) activities in the area and pose a big risk to future food security. |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jestft/papers/vol10-issue7/Version-1/D1007012532.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
