ABSTRACT The stem borer, Chilo partellus Swinhoe (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is a pest that attacks plants in the poacea family in tropical lowland areas of Africa. Yield losses in maize are caused by the borer feeding on plant stems, leaves, grains and tussles. It is difficult to control C. partellus since larvae hide in stems. Spraying with insecticides only kills eggs and adults. Other methods used to control C. partellus include biological, physical, geneticaland cultural methods. Trap plant...
ABSTRACT Kaya Mudzimuvya is one of the Mijikenda sacred forests along the Kenya Coast, whose sanctity has, to some extent contributed to its conservation. However, due to gradual detachment from the Kaya culture and attempts to sustain livelihoods, these forests have continually undergone degradation. Consequently, this has tremendously reduced the forest cover thus resulting in the loss of biodiversity. This study sought to establish the relationship between the social, cultural and eco...
ABSTRACT Small land holdings and poverty in Central Kenya have made it difficult for farmers to adequately conserve and replenish soil nutrients in their farms. Soil erosion and leaching of nutrients leading to soil acidity have been the inevitable outcome. This study was designed to determine the effect of inoculating soyabeans (Glycine max) with both mycorrhiza and rhizobium as a biological means of improving soil fertility in the acidic soils in Gatanga, Thika District. Field experiments w...
ABSTRACT Sweet melon (Cucumis melo L.) is a plant that produces a fleshy edible fruit and belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. As an economic crop, the sweet melon is highly consumed by the urban population in Kenya. The pollination ecology of the crop is not well understood. Effective pollination is essential for fruit set and overall productivity of sweet melons. The use of pest control products can adversely impair pollination provision through direct decimation of pollinators or their rep...
ABSTRACT The youth are often faced by a number of challenges that are unique. These challenges differ between developed and developing countries, with the latter facing rapid urbanization that does not match government investments in social infrastructure. Irrespective of this, the challenges predispose the youth to involvement in delinquencies the so called deviant behaviour. Recently, youth deviant behaviour has become a global issue of great concern and requires immediate attention. Develo...
ABSTRACT Women play a vital role in food production, however, little has been documented about their role in food security for their households despite their efforts in food production. The purpose of the study was to assess the role of women in household food security in Mpeketoni Location, Lamu County, Kenya. The objectives of the study were: to identify the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of women farmers; to determine farming inputs used by women farmers; to establish the fa...
ABSTRACT In rural areas, water availability in the right quantity and quality is an important step towards achieving socio-economic development. Thus, the provision of sustainable water supply has been a central issue in Kenya with priority on low-income rural communities and underdeveloped areas with poor water resources. This has forced many rural communities to embrace community management model in rural water systems. However, despite continued large-scale investment by the government an...
ABSTRACT Various studies have shown that land use impacts on water quality are attributable to about 80 % of diseases in the developing world. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of land use on water quality in River Malaget sub-catchment. The specific objectives were to: i) establish spring and streamflow water quality; ii) determine the water quality index of the selected sampling points and iii) evaluate the relationship between spring and streamflow water quality ...
ABSTRACT Climate change is viewed as one of the greatest challenges facing humanity manifested in form of variation in amount and distribution of precipitation, ocean salinity, wind patterns and aspects of extreme weather leading to droughts and flooding, among others. These changes threaten community livelihoods, economy, ecosystems and social cohesion. Africa is particularly viewed to bear the brunt of the climate change threats mainly due to its poor economic development and low instituti...
ABSTRACT Parasitic weeds are plants that have evolutionarily lost autotrophic way of life during their development stages. Dodder, a plant of the Cuscuta species, is one such invasive parasitic weed with a wide range of world geographic distribution and host diversity. In Kenya, dodder is common in counties at the Coast, Central, Nyanza, Western and Rift valley. The plant is alleged to parasitize on a variety of perennial crops, wild and domesticated trees and shrubs thus affecting host vigo...
ABSTRACT Information on the quality of water is important as it forms a vital baseline for among others the detection of undesirable change in water quality. Diatoms often are used as water quality bio indicators in European countries, however there is limited use of these microalgae in most African countries yet they are suitable for quantitative research as they respond strongly to environmental changes. The physico-chemical and diatom properties were investigated along River Kisat that dr...
ABSTRACT Forests are valuable for environmental, ecological, cultural, social and economical support to natural systems and improvement of human welfare. The world‟s forest cover is estimated to be about 3.6 billion ha. Out of this portion, 57% is located in developing countries and indirectly supports about 1.6 billion people where at least 400 million are directly dependent on forest resources for their livelihood. Kenya is classified as a low forest cover country, where the closed canopy...
ABSTRACT Laikipia West district receives between 500 mm and 950mm of rainfall annually. It is therefore, classified as a semi arid region with harsh and fragile environment. The low and erratic rainfalls govern vegetation dynamics, animals‟ survival and the general human welfare. Frequent drought as a result of climate change has exacerbated and compounded the problem of provision of quality basic education in the district. This study was conducted to investigate drought prevalence and th...
ABSTRACT Drought and famine, in sub-Saharan Africa, are among the leading causes of vulnerability within resource poor households in Arid and Semi-Arid agro-ecosystems. Accordingly, understanding how these communities cope with drought-driven food insecurity is critical for mitigation planning. This study was conducted in Makamini location in Kwale County, an area with a long history of food insecurity. Purposive sampling was used to identify twenty key informants and 30 respondents in each s...
ABSTRACT Access to quality water remains a key indicator of an improved social and economic life of any community. Due to an increasing human population, changes in land use activities and climate variability, Nyangores Basin in Kenya has been under pressure and for this reason, availability and access to quality and sufficient quantity of water has been adversely affected. Despite government plans to ensure all households access piped water; this has not been achieved as coverage is still v...