Sustainability of reforestation projects in Kodera and wire forests in Rachuonyo south sub-county, Homa -bay county – Kenya.

Abstract

Despite substantial financial investment on reforestation projects, they fail to realize their fundamental goal of biodiversity conservation, carbon emission reduction, and support to livelihoods, leading to wastage of funds. The research was focused on determining the factors influencing the sustainability of reforestation projects in Kenya, focusing on Kodera and Wire forests in Rachuonyo South Sub-County in Homa Bay County. The objectives were; to assess the influence of public participation on the sustainability of reforestation projects, to assess the influence the economic benefits on the sustainability of reforestation projects, to evaluate the influence of government policy on the sustainability of reforestation projects, and to assess the influence of community awareness on the sustainability of reforestation projects in Kodera and Wire forests. Consequently, the study sought to fill the knowledge gap on the factors influencing the sustainability of reforestation projects in Kodera and Wire Forests. The theories of participation and conservation guided the study. It adopted a descriptive design. Through stratified and simple random sampling, 92 respondents were selected from a target population of 920. The collection of quantitative data was done using closed-ended questionnaires. Validity was enhanced through piloting, while reliability was enhanced through the split-half method. The quantitative data was measured in an interval scale, coded, and fed into the SPSS for analysis. Inferential and descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. Tables were used to present the data. There was a statistically significant relationship between public participation, economic benefits, government policy, and community awareness and the sustainability of reforestation projects (P-value < 0.05 = 0.001843785, 0.009802, 0.040775, and 0.000692 at 95% confidence level respectively). The study concluded that public participation, economic benefits, government policy, and community awareness have a significant influence on the sustainability of reforestation projects. Project implementers should enhance public participation, community awareness, and provide economic benefits to local communities. Government policies on projects should focus on the community and promote equality. Further research should be done to assess the influence of politics, income levels, literacy levels, and tree species on the sustainability of reforestation projects.