Kimiti_Farmer indigenous knowledge on courses of soil fertility decline in semi-arid south eastern Kenya

Abstract

A study was carried out in the semi-arid south eastern Kenya to establish existing soil fertility conservation strategies and farmer perspective on causes of soil fertility decline in the sites. Four sites were selected and random household interviews were conducted using structured questionnaire. A total of 119 households were interviewed. Results obtained indicated that about 90% of the farmers used farmyard manure erratically and only 2% of the farmers used inorganic fertilizers. Further, about 85% of the farmers used conservation structures to check soil erosion and evidence of erosion on farms was rare. However, about 64% of the farmers interviewed indicated that the main course of soil fertility decline in the study sites was soil erosion. The results further revealed that between 60 and 67% of household heads had only primary school education. We concluded that the most probable cause of soil decline in the study sites was soil nutrient depletion through nutrient mining by crops and that there is need to sensitize farmers on appropriate use of manures and incorporation of inorganic fertilizers in crop production