Abstract:
Gullies are a major environmental challenge in semi-arid areas, leading to expansion of semi-arid
regions, triggering landslides, causing pollution, limiting agricultural activities and damaging
infrastructure, which pose a threat to livelihoods. Despite massive threat posed by gully erosion,
farmers lack capacity for designing appropriate rehabilitation structures. Thus, understanding
conservation techniques adoptable by locals for conserving degraded ecosystem in semi-arid
environments is necessary. The study examined social-economic threshold factors for gully
stabilization in the semi-arid environment of Wanjoga Catchment. Objectives of study included;
to evaluate perception of farmers on gully stabilization and conservation, and establish success
levels of gully stabilization methods used by farmers. Landsat images were generated to predict
gully venerability. Field surveys revealed total of 98 respondents whose farmlands had gullies of
width and depth ? 0.5meters and interviewed. Paired t-test and chi-square, data revealed a
positive significant relationship (p = 0.001 < 0.05), between preferred rehabilitation structures
and topographical differentiation, with gabions indicating low levels of effectiveness; 12.1% of
structures diverting threat or accelerating erosion down slope. Paired sample t-test p=0.000,
revealed, gulley rehabilitation measures used by farmers have not healed a significant number of
gullies.
|
