Land Use Activities and Their Effects on Soil Erosion on the Slopes of Kajulu Hills, Kisumu County, Kenya

Abstract

Human activities have globally accelerated soil erosion between ten to forty times the natural occurrences. A study on land use activities and their effects on soil erosion was conducted in the upland ecosystem in Kenya, Kajulu hills. The study determined the relationship between land use activities and soil erosion to see the effects of land use activities on the magnitude of soil erosion. A sample size of 295 households out of 1600 households engaged in various de-vegetative practices was used. The study collected data on the depth of erosion (mm) using erosion pin technique. The resultant data were analyzed using measures of central tendency and correlation analysis.  The finding showed no observable change on the heights of erosion pins on the vegetated parts of the slopes whereas the de-vegetated parts of the hill slopes had an erosion depth of between 8mm and 7mm which were equivalent to 80m³/Ha. and 70m³/Ha. or 1.36kg/m² and 1.19kg/m². These findings were above the world wide estimation of soil erosion on mountainous regions with normal vegetation which ranges between 0.1-0.5kg/m²/year (1-5T/Ha/year) as it was based on one rainy season. Thus, the need to re-vegetate the de-vegetated hill slopes in order to control soil erosion and curb its adverse effects.