Assessment of Household Land Size and Land Use for Sustainable Food and Livelihood Security in a Maize Farming System of Uvuu Sub-location, Makueni County
Abstract
Globally, agriculture is the supplier of food and a source of livelihood to many
farmers. The sector is an important component of Makueni County economy as it
employs about 78 percent of the county population. However, it is greatly challenged
by declining land sizes, a situation that is occasioned by unregulated land subdivision.
It is evident that food security is a widespread challenge all over the country and
especially in the Arid and Semi-Arid Areas. The government is striving to feed its
citizens amidst a growing population. The study assessed the current household land
size and use and their impact on food and livelihood security, evaluated the factors
influencing household land size and use, documented inter-generational transmission
of land rights and use and recommended planning interventions for sustainable food
and livelihood security in the maize farming system of Uvuu Sub-location. Both
secondary and primary data was collected for the study and various data collection
techniques were employed. In total; 140 households were interviewed, 5 key
informants interviewed and 3 focus group discussions held.
The study established that there was significant difference in the land size of the
households who were food secure and those who were food insecure, p = 0.017 is less
than α = 0.05. There also exists an association between household land size and
livelihood security. The chi-square test gives a p of 0.000 which is less than α = 0.05.
The study further established that there is a significant relationship between the area
of land allocated to maize and its production, p = 0.000 is less than α = 0.05. Some of
the factors affecting household land size and use include; culture/traditions, off-farm
income, education level, topography, land ownership, settlement patterns and land
quality among others. Intergenerational transmission of land rights and use was
evident in the sub-location as inheritance was the most common form of land
acquisition. Some of the recommendations include: teaching the residents on the
dangers of further land subdivision, land consolidation, curb land selling and
reorganization of the settlements. The proposed minimum land size for sustainable
food and livelihood security is set at 5 acres. This land size according to the
respondents was ideal for them to: undertake agricultural diversification, carry on
inheritance purposes, practice large scale farming and was fit for the family needs.
Publisher
University of Nairobi
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
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