Socio-demographic Determinants of Soil Erosion Levels among the Farming Households in Nyakach Sub-county, Kenya

Abstract

Soil degradation is a world-wide problem facing humanity today. In Nyakach Sub-county the problem has persisted over the years. This study set out to assess the influence of socio-demographic characteristics of farmers on soil erosion levels. Data from 384 respondents,collected using questionnaire and interview, were analyzed by descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression.Resultsrevealed that household headship was male-dominated (64.6%), 45.8% of the respondents had primary level of education, 65.6% were married, 52.3% treated farming as their main occupation and 26% lived below poverty line. Some 52.1% of the respondents were aged 36 to 64 years, 47.4% of the households had 6 to 10 persons, and 85.4% had 0 to 4 dependents. About 78.6% owned less than 4 hectares of land, 99.5% had freehold tenure, 52.1% had lived on the same land for 1 to 20 years, and 48.7% cropped between 60 and 79% of their land. Sex (�� 2 = 18.445), marital status (�� 2 = 22.389), main occupation (�� 2 = 21.591), income of the household head (�� 2 = 30.085), age (�� 2 = 24.136), household population (�� 2 = 13.038) and number of dependents (�� 2 = 13.321) significantly influenced erosion levels in the Plateau but not in the Plain and Scarp. Land ownership (�� 2 = 368.63) significantly influenced erosion levels in the Plain but not in the Plateau and Scarp. The study concluded that socio-demographic characteristics influenced soil degradation but the magnitude depended on the physiographic unit. It was recommended that physiography should be considered when planning soil conservation measures.