FACTORS INFLUENCING MANAGEMENT OF RANGELANDS BY PASTORAL COMMUNITIES IN GOTU, NGAREMARA WARD, ISIOLO COUNTY, KENYA
Mary Wanjiku Munene - Master of Arts in Project Planning and Management, University of Nairobi, Kenya
Prof. H. Kidombo - Department of Educational Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya
ABSTRACT
This study aims to examine the factors that influence management of rangelands by Kenyan pastoral communities particularly in Gotu area in Ngare Mara Ward, Isiolo County. The study was guided by the following research objectives: To establish the influence of size of livestock herd on management of rangelands in Gotu area; to examine the influence of community management structures on management of rangelands in Gotu area; to determine the influence of government support on management of rangelands in Gotu area; to establish the influence of socioeconomic status of community on management of rangelands in Gotu area. The study targeted all the male and female inhabitants of Gotu area in Ngare Mara Ward. The researcher also interviewed the current governor of Isiolo County, Hon. Godana Doyo. Questionnaires and interview schedule were used to collect the data. The collected data was organized and prepared for analysis by coding and entry in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, Ver.19). The study found that size of livestock motivates conservation of the grazing land, that local communities frequently engage in any grazing land conservation activities, that government have put measures to support management of local grazing land and that local community’s occupation prompts their management of grazing land. The study also revealed that large herds of livestock knock down dead plants making them decay more quickly and fertilize the soil end ensure healthy grazing lands, improvement of degraded grazing land means more pasture for more livestock and that conservation of grazing land ensures its long-term productivity for the increasing herds of livestock. The study revealed that some of the conservation activities include monitoring livestock physical characteristics to evaluate the quantity of pasture, that regulating the frequency of daily livestock movements, rotation grazing to avoid overgrazing, closing off degraded pastures for several years to allow regeneration and maintaining an appropriate herd structure for a suitable time. The study concluded that size of livestock herd had the greatest influence on management of rangelands in Gotu area followed by community management structures then socio economic status while had the government support then least effect on the management of rangelands in Gotu area. The study recommends that there is a need to strengthen the management capacity of rangelands through measures that enhance pastoralists’ control over natural resources, that there is need to build capacity and skills of people to harvest and store rain water and surface run-off and to sensitize the communities on rangeland restoration techniques.
