Site Suitability Analysis for Bamboo Farming in Nyandarua County

Abstract

In both the County Development Plan and County Integrated Development Plan for the year 2021-2022 and 2018-2022 respectively, bamboo farming is one of the flagship projects and is considered as a high value crop. The agricultural industry is the pillar of Kenya’s economy. Farming is the core activity for the rural population in the country. Nevertheless, its productivity has since been affected as a consequence of extreme climatic changes and environmental degradation. As a result, a substantial number of the rural population live in abject poverty. It is thus imperative that environmental resilience and sustainable development projects are adapted to improve livelihoods. Bamboo is a sustainable cash crop whose potential has not been fully exploited in the country. Its cultivation will offer resilient and a sustainable development approach towards fighting climate change and poverty. This research project aimed to identify potential areas for bamboo farming in Nyandarua County in Kenya. The main objective of the study was to identify potential Bamboo growing areas in Nyandarua County, Kenya. A Multi-Criteria Decision Making Technique, in conjunction with GIS and Remote Sensing was used to come up with a Site Suitability model. In regards to advice from experts and discussion from available literature review on Bamboo growth requirements, three main variables were determined that is, climate, topography and soil. From the 3 main criteria, 7 sub-criteria were selected that is rainfall, temperature, elevation, land use land cover, soil texture, soil drainage and soil PHAQ. The factors were reclassified according to FAO guidelines into four classes highly suitable (S1), moderately suitable (S2), marginally suitable (S3) and not suitable (N). An Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) was conducted to assign weight to each factor. The weights were used to conduct a weighted overlay analysis hence, generating the overall Bamboo farming Site Suitability Map. Based on the results, Nyandarua County is suitable for the cultivation of Bamboo trees in varying degrees. With the highest percentage being 75.30% which is moderately suitable and 24.54% and 0.16% being highly and marginally suitable. Highly acidic soil and Soil texture are the core constraints that prevent Land in Nyandarua County from being highly suitable.