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Browsing by Author "Mucheru-Muna, Monicah"

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Determinants of Farmers’ Knowledge on Soil and Water Conservation Technologies in Dry Zones of Central Highlands, Kenya
(Journal of Agricultural Extension, 2021-10) Njenga, Maureen W.; Mugwe, Jayne N.; Mogaka, Hezron R.; Nyabuga, George; Oduor, Nathan; Kiboi, Milka; Ngetich, Felix; Mucheru-Muna, Monicah; Sijali, Isaya; Mugendi, Daniel
This study ascertained the socioeconomic determinants of farmers’ knowledge on soil and water conservation technologies in Dry zones of Central Highlands of Kenya involving 400 farming households. Results showed that the majority of the farmers had inadequate knowledge on the use and benefits of soil and water conservation technologies. The socio-economic factors that influence knowledge levels of the knowledge-intensive technologies were education level, gender, perceptions on soil fertility, farmer group membership, access to training, farm size, access to credit, number of livestock kept and access to farm equipment. This implies that there is the need to come up with an all-inclusive policy that can be employed in improving farmer’s level of knowledge through the use of more innovative methods of information dissemination. This can be done by strengthening the existing farmer groups, enhancing extension services, and also formulating gender-friendly policies.
Dissemination of Integrated Soil Fertility Management Technologies Using Participatory Approaches in the Central Highlands of Kenya
(Springer Netherlands, 2011-06) Mugendi, Daniel N.; Mugwe, Jayne; Mucheru-Muna, Monicah; Karega, R.; Muriuki, J.; Vanlauwe, B.; Merckx, R.
Declining soil fertility and productivity is a critical problem facing smallholder farmers in the central highlands of Kenya. A study to improve soil fertility and farm productivity within the smallholder farming systems in the area was carried out from 2003 to 2006. The specific objectives were to identify farming system constraints, evaluate and disseminate potential integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) interventions using participatory approaches, assess achievements and impacts, and document learning experiences emanating from the methodologies used. The participatory approaches used were Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), mother–baby approach (with emphasis on demonstration), farmer groups, stakeholders planning meetings, village training workshops, cross-site visits and participatory monitoring and evaluation. The core problems identified were low crop and fodder yields that were caused by erratic rainfall, soil erosion, low soil fertility and small land sizes. There was high participation of farmers in all the partnership activities, and this possibly contributed to the high uptake of the technologies for testing by farmers whereby after only 2 years a total of 970 households were testing the new technologies. Maize yields at the farm level increased by more than 150% following use of the new ISFM interventions and about half of the farmers within the groups planted close to 500 trees propagated in the group nurseries. We recommend that pathways to reach more farmers should concentrate on demonstrations, farmer training grounds, field days and farmer groups and that a policy framework should be put in place to impart appropriate skills in ISFM to the extension workers.
Economic evaluation of local inputs in Meru South District, Kenya
(Springer, 2007) Mucheru-Muna, Monicah; Mugendi, Daniel N.; Mugwe, Jayne; Kung’u, James
Declining land productivity is a major problem facing smallholder farmers in Kenya today. This decline is as a result of reduced soil fertility caused by continuous cultivation without adequate addition of manures and fertilizers. Low soil fertility is one of the greatest challenges facing farmers in the central highlands of Kenya. A farmers’ participatory trial was established in Meru South District, Kenya in 2000 to investigate feasible soil nutrient replenishment technologies for poor resource smallholder farmers. Results across seven seasons indicate that sole tithonia gave the highest grain yield followed closely by tithonia with half recommended rate of inorganic fertilizer with 6.4 and 6.3 Mg ha-1respectively. The control treatment gave the lowest yield of 2.2 Mg ha-1 across the seasons. The integration of organic and inorganic nutrient sources of N gave higher maize grain yield as compared to the sole organic materials in all seven seasons. Economic analyses indicate that on average tithonia with half the recommended rate of inorganic fertilizer recorded the highest net benefit (US$ 787.2) whereas the control treatment gave the lowest benefit (US$ 271.7). On the other hand the recommended rate of inorganic fertilizer gave the highest (US$ 12.5) return to labour while sole tithonia gave the lowest (US$ 4.0). On average in the farmers’ fields, manure alone gave the highest return to labour of US$ 3.6, while the control treatment gave the lowest return to labour US$ –0.2.
Effect of plant biomass, manure and inorganic fertilizer on maize yield in the central Highlands of Kenya
(2007) Mugwe, Jayne; Mugendi, Daniel N.; Kungu, James; Mucheru-Muna, Monicah
Soil fertility degradation remains the major biophysical cause of declining per capita crop production on smallholder farms in sub-Saharan Africa. Appropriate soil fertility regimes, are therefore, critical for improved crop productivity. This study investigated the feasibility of using sole organics or their combinations with inorganic fertilisers to improve maize (Zea mays) production in the highlands central Kenya. Sole application of Calliandra calotyrsus, Leucaena trichandra trichandra, Mucuna pruriens, Crotalaria ochroleuca, Tithonia diversifolia and cattle manure at 60 kg N ha-1 or combined application of the organic materials (30 kg N ha-1) plus inorganic fertiliser (30 kg N ha-1) gave significantly (P < 0.05) higher maize grain yields than the recommended rate of inorganic fertiliser (60 kg N ha-1). These treatments maintained maize yields at 4 to 6 t ha-1. Farmers had their own innovations where they combined organic resources and generally appreciable yields (3.0 to 5.6 t ha-1) were obtained from these innovations. However, there was a maize yield gap between on station and on farm trials with on station yields having on average 65% more yields than the on-farm yields. This was mainly attributed to differences in management practices arising from partial adoption of recommended rates. There is need therefore to develop and implement mechanisms tailored to ensure that farmers’ modications recommended soil amendment regimes and other agronomic practices are appropriate for enhanced crop productivity. Further studies are needed to establish the optimum mixture of different organic materials.
Effects of organic and mineral fertilizer inputs on maize yield and soil chemical properties in a maize cropping system in Meru South District, Kenya
(Springer, 2007-01) Mucheru-Muna, Monicah; Mugendi, Daniel N.; Kung’u, James; Mugwe, Jayne; Bationo, A.
Soil nutrient depletion as a result of continuous cultivation of soils without adequate addition of external inputs is a major challenge in the highlands of Kenya. An experiment was set up in Meru South District, Kenya in 2000 to investigate the effects of different soil-incorporated organic (manure, Tithonia diversifolia, Calliandra calothyrsus, Leucaena leucocephala) and mineral fertilizer inputs on maize yield, and soil chemical properties over seven seasons. On average, tithonia treatments (with or without half recommended rate of mineral fertilizer) gave the highest grain yield (5.5 and 5.4 Mg ha–1 respectively) while the control treatment gave the lowest yield (1.5 Mg ha–1). After 2 years of trial implementation, total soil carbon and nitrogen contents were improved with the application of organic residues, and manure in particular improved soil calcium content. Results of the economic analysis indicated that on average across the seven seasons, tithonia with half recommended rate of mineral fertilizer treatment recorded the highest net benefit (USD 787 ha–1) while the control recorded the lowest (USD 272 ha–1). However, returns to labor or benefitcost ratios were in most cases not significantly improved when organic materials were used.
Gender-specific determinants of Zai technology use intensity for improved soil water management in the drylands of Upper Eastern Kenya
(Elsevier Ltd., 2021-06-01) Ndeke, Amos ,M; Ngetich, Felix; Mugwe, Jayne ,N; Mogaka, Hezron; Kiboi, Milka; Nyabuga, George; Mucheru-Muna, Monicah; Sijali, Isaya
Degraded landscapes and soil water stress are long-standing problems to smallholder agriculture in the drylands. Despite the important roles of zai technology in restoring degraded landscapes and improving agricultural productivity, the technology is yet to be adopted to its fullest extent. This can be attributed to gender-linked disparities in agricultural technology utilization. The study, therefore, sought to determine gender-specific determinants of zai technology choice and use-intensity. A multistage sampling technique was employed in randomly selecting 133 female-headed households and 267 male-headed households in Tharaka South subcounty. Quantitative data were collected in a cross-sectional survey using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Using sex-disaggregated data, Chi-square and t-test statistic were employed to test the statistical significance of dummy and mean value of continuous variables, respectively. Gender specific determinants of zai technology choice and use-intensity were determined using the Heckman-two-step econometric model. The results revealed that, more women farmers (44%) were using zai technology as compared to men (38%). Among women farmers, total cultivated land, access to animal-drawn farm implements, and group membership had an influence on zai technology choice. For men, total cultivated land, group membership and access to extension services positively influenced choice of zai technology. With regard to zai technology use-intensity, total land cultivated, livestock densities, group membership and frequency of trainings on soil and water management were important determinants among women farmers. For men, zai technology use-intensity was determined by total cultivated land and farmers’ perceptions on soil erosion. We recommend that, gender-sensitive farm-level policies oriented towards farmer socioeconomic profiles are important deliberations towards choice and intense application of soil and water conservation strategies such as the zai technology.
Improving food production using ‘best bet’ soil fertility technologies in the Central highlands of Kenya
(Springer, 2007) Mugendi, Daniel N.; Mucheru-Muna, Monicah; Mugwe, Jayne; Kung’u, James; Bationo, A.
Declining crop productivity is a major challenge facing smallholder farmers in central highlands of Kenya. This decline is caused by continuous cultivation of soils without adequate addition of external inputs in form of manures and fertilizers. With this background, an on-station trial was initiated at Embu in 1992 to evaluate the feasibility of using two leguminous shrubs; Calliandra calothyrsus and Leucaena leucocephala for improving food production. In 2000, an off-station farmers’ participatory trial aimed at offering farmers soil enhancing technologies for replenishing soil fertility was established in Meru South District. The results from the Embu on-station trial indicate that, over the 11 years of study, calliandra and leucaena biomass transfer with half recommended rate of inorganic fertilizer treatments gave the best average maize grain yields of 3.3 Mg ha-1. Treatment where calliandra was alley cropped with maize but the prunings removed recorded the lowest maize yield of 1.2 Mg ha-1. Treatments with calliandra and leucana biomass transfer had similar yields but treatments that were alley cropped with leucaena did better than those that were alley cropped with calliandra. On the other hand, results from the off-station trial in Meru South indicate that, on average, across the seven seasons, sole tithonia gave the highest maize grain yield followed closely by tithonia with half recommended rate of inorganic fertilizer with 6.4 and 6.3 Mg ha-1 respectively. Control gave the lowest yield of 2.2 Mg ha-1 across the seasons. On average, integration of organic an inorganic sources of nutrients gave higher yields compared to all the other treatments.
Integrated Soil Fertility and Water Management Practices for Enhanced Agricultural Productivity
(UoeM, 2023-06-23) Ndegwa, Jackline K.; Gichimu, Bernard M.; Mugwe, Jayne N.; Mucheru-Muna, Monicah; Njiru, Daniel M.
Declining agricultural productivity has been a challenge worldwide and especially in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Low agricultural productivity has been attributed to factors such as poor farm management practices, soil moisture stress, soil infertility, and soil degradation, among others. -e nations in the SSA are prone to insu5cient crop yields due to their inadequate capacity to adapt to good agricultural practices that support crop productivity such as integrated soil fertility and water management (ISFWM) practices. -is lowers the farmers’ capacity to improve crop productivity, thus contributing in jeopardizing the food and nutritional security in SSA. Past research has shown that ISFWM strategies have not been properly adopted probably due to the lack of adequate awareness among the farmers about them. In addition, there is limited documentation on the importance of ISFWM in enhancement of soil fertility, water use e5ciency, and sustainable crop production in SSA. -is paper discusses some of the key ISFWM options that have the potential to enhance soil fertility, improve water use e5ciency, and consequently increase agricultural productivity. -e practices include intercropping, use of tied ridges, minimum tillage, mulching, and combined use of organic and inorganic fertilizers.
Integrating Farmers and Scientific Methods for Evaluating Climate Change Adaptation Options in Embu County
(Springer International Publishing, 2014-11) Njeru, P.N.; Mugwe, Jayne; Maina, I.; Mucheru-Muna, Monicah; Mugendi, Daniel N.; Lekasi, J.K.; Kimani, S.; Miriti, J.; Oeba, V.O.; Esilaba, A.O.; Mutuma, E.; Rao, K.P.; Muriithi, F.
Potential for promoting sorghum crop as a climate change adaptation strategy for rain-fed agriculture in Embu County, Kenya was evaluated using farmer perceptions and scientific methods. Three hundred and sixty six smallholder farmers participated in the evaluation. The treatments which were overall rated as ‘good’ are tied ridges with a mean score of 2.9 and mean rank (2,873.87). Under this treatment sorghum grain yield of 3.7 t ha−1 was recorded with application of 40 kg P ha−1 + 20 kg N ha−1 + Manure 2.5 t ha−1. This was closely followed by tied ridges and contour furrows overall rated ‘good’ best three under the same soil fertility management options with a mean score ranging from 2.65 to 2.8 and yielding 2.7–3.7 t ha−1. However, the treatments which were rated as ‘poor’ were experiment controls with a mean score below (1.43), mean rank (1,101.24) and yielding as low as (0.7 t ha−1). Therefore, integration of organic and inorganic inputs under various water harvesting technologies could be considered as an alternative option towards food security under climate change for semi-arid areas of Embu County.
Potential of deterministic and geostatistical rainfall interpolation under high rainfall variability and dry spells: case of Kenya’s Central Highlands
(Springer Vienna, 2015-03) Kisaka, Oscar M.; Mucheru-Muna, Monicah; Ngetich, F.K.; Mugwe, Jayne
Drier parts of Kenya’s Central Highlands endure persistent crop failure and declining agricultural productivity. These have, in part, attributed to high temperatures, prolonged dry spells and erratic rainfall. Understanding spatial-temporal variability of climatic indices such as rainfall at seasonal level is critical for optimal rain-fed agricultural productivity and natural resource management in the study area. However, the predominant setbacks in analysing hydro-meteorological events are occasioned by either lack, inadequate, or inconsistent meteorological data. Like in most other places, the sole sources of climatic data in the study region are scarce and only limited to single stations, yet with persistent missing/unrecorded data making their utilization a challenge. This study examined seasonal anomalies and variability in rainfall, drought occurrence and the efficacy of interpolation techniques in the drier regions of eastern Kenyan. Rainfall data from five stations (Machang’a, Kiritiri, Kiambere and Kindaruma and Embu) were sourced from both the Kenya Meteorology Department and on-site primary recording. Owing to some experimental work ongoing, automated recording for primary dailies in Machang’a have been ongoing since the year 2000 to date; thus, Machang’a was treated as reference (for period of record) station for selection of other stations in the region. The other stations had data sets of over 15 years with missing data of less than 10 % as required by the world meteorological organization whose quality check is subject to the Centre for Climate Systems Modeling (C2SM) through MeteoSwiss and EMPA bodies. The dailies were also subjected to homogeneity testing to evaluate whether they came from the same population. Rainfall anomaly index, coefficients of variance and probability were utilized in the analyses of rainfall variability. Spline, kriging and inverse distance weighting interpolation techniques were assessed using daily rainfall data and digital elevation model in ArcGIS environment. Validation of the selected interpolation methods were based on goodness of fit between gauged (observed) and generated rainfall derived from residual errors statistics, coefficient of determination (R 2), mean absolute errors (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) statistics. Analyses showed 90 % chance of below cropping-threshold rainfall (500 mm) exceeding 258.1 mm during short rains in Embu for 1 year return period. Rainfall variability was found to be high in seasonal amounts (e.g. coefficient of variation (CV) = 0.56, 0.47, 0.59) and in number of rainy days (e.g. CV = 0.88, 0.53) in Machang’a and Kiritiri, respectively. Monthly rainfall variability was found to be equally high during April and November (e.g. CV = 0.48, 0.49 and 0.76) with high probabilities (0.67) of droughts exceeding 15 days in Machang’a. Dry spell probabilities within growing months were high, e.g. 81 and 60 % in Machang’a and Embu, respectively. Kriging interpolation method emerged as the most appropriate geostatistical interpolation technique suitable for spatial rainfall maps generation for the study region. Theoretical and Applied Climatology Theoretical and Applied Climatology Look Inside
The Potential of Organic and Inorganic Nutrient Sources in Sub-Saharan African Crop Farming Systems
(2012-02) Ngetich, F.K.; Shisanya, C.A.; Mugwe, Jayne; Mucheru-Muna, Monicah; Mugendi, Daniel N.
he Potential of Organic and Inorganic Nutrient Sources in Sub-Saharan African Crop Farming System
Rainfall Variability, Drought Characterization, and Efficacy of Rainfall Data Reconstruction: Case of Eastern Kenya
(Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2014-08) Kisaka, Oscar M.; Mucheru-Muna, Monicah; Ngetich, F.K.; Mugwe, Jayne; Mugendi, Daniel N.; Mairura, F.
This study examined the extent of seasonal rainfall variability, drought occurrence, and the efficacy of interpolation techniques in eastern Kenya. Analyses of rainfall variability utilized rainfall anomaly index, coefficients of variance, and probability analyses. Spline, Kriging, and inverse distance weighting interpolation techniques were assessed using daily rainfall data and digital elevation model using ArcGIS. Validation of these interpolation methods was evaluated by comparing the modelled/generated rainfall values and the observed daily rainfall data using root mean square errors and mean absolute errors statistics. Results showed 90% chance of below cropping threshold rainfall (500 mm) exceeding 258.1 mm during short rains in Embu for one year return period. Rainfall variability was found to be high in seasonal amounts (CV = 0.56, 0.47, and 0.59) and in number of rainy days (CV = 0.88, 0.49, and 0.53) in Machang’a, Kiritiri, and Kindaruma, respectively. Monthly rainfall variability was found to be equally high during April and November (CV = 0.48, 0.49, and 0.76) with high probabilities (0.67) of droughts exceeding 15 days in Machang’a and Kindaruma. Dry-spell probabilities within growing months were high, (91%, 93%, 81%, and 60%) in Kiambere, Kindaruma, Machang’a, and Embu, respectively. Kriging interpolation method emerged as the most appropriate geostatistical interpolation technique suitable for spatial rainfall maps generation for the study region.
Soil Greenhouse Gas Fluxes From Maize Production Under Different Soil Fertility Management Practices in East Africa
(2020-06) Macharia, Joseph M.; Pelster, David E.; Ngetich, Felix K.; Shisanya, Chris A.; Mucheru-Muna, Monicah; Mugendi, Daniel N.
In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), few studies have quantified greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions following application of soil amendments, for development of accurate national GHG inventories. Therefore, this study quantified soil GHG emissions using static chambers for two maize cropping seasons (one full year) of four different soil amendments in the central highlands of Kenya. The four treatments were (i) animal manure, (ii) inorganic fertilizer, (iii) combined animal manure and inorganic fertilizer, and (iv) a no-N control (no amendment) laid out in a randomized complete block design. Cumulative annual soil fluxes (February 2017 to February 2018) ranged from −1.03 ± 0.19 kg CH4-C ha−1 yr−1 from the manure inorganic fertilizer treatment to −0.09 ± 0.03 kg CH4-C ha−1 yr−1 from the manure treatment, 1,391 ± 74 kg CO2-C ha−1 yr−1 from the control treatment to 3,574 ± 113 kg CO2-C ha−1 yr−1 from the manure treatment, and 0.13 ± 0.08 to 1.22 ± 0.12 kg N2O-N ha−1 yr−1 in the control and manure treatments, respectively. Animal manure amendment produced the highest cumulative CO2 emissions (P < 0.001), N2O emissions (P < 0.001), and maize yields (P = 0.002) but the lowest N2O yield-scaled emission (YSE) (0.5 g N2O–N kg−1 grain yield). Manure combined with inorganic fertilizer had the highest cumulative CH4 uptake (P < 0.001) and N2O YSE (2.2 g N2O–N kg−1 grain yield). Our results indicate that while the use of animal manure may increase total GHG emissions, the concurrent increase in maize yields results in reduced yield-scaled GHG emissions.
Soil Inorganic N and N Uptake by Maize Following Application of Legume Biomass, Tithonia, Manure and Mineral Fertilizer in Central Kenya
(Springer Netherlands, 2011-05) Mugwe, Jayne; Mugendi, Daniel N.; Mucheru-Muna, Monicah; Kung’u, James
In the smallholder farms of central Kenya soils suffer from nitrogen (N) deficiency due to inability to replenish it through application of chemical fertilizers and/or manure. This study evaluated the effect of some organic materials such as Mucuna pruriens, Crotalaria ochroleuca, Calliandra calothyrsus, Leucaena trichandra, cattle manure and Tithonia diversifolia applied solely or combined with inorganic fertilizer on soil mineral N dynamics and N uptake by maize. Soils and maize samples were taken at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16 and 20 weeks after planting maize (WAP) during 2002 long rain (LR) and 2004 LR seasons and analysed. The study showed that amounts of soil inorganic N and uptake of N by maize varied among the different sampling dates, treatments and between seasons. There was a general increase of mineral N after the start of the season followed by a drastic reduction during 6 and 4 WAP during 2002 and 2004 LR, respectively. This trend was attributed to the decomposition of organic materials at the beginning of the season followed by leaching due to intense rainfall during this period. Treatments that had tithonia, leucaena and calliandra applied recorded the highest amounts of soil inorganic N and also the highest N uptake by maize. Poor rainfall in 2004 LR restricted N uptake and was responsible for lower N uptake by maize in 2002 LR than in 2004 LR. At the end of the growing season, there were high amounts of mineral N at 100–150 cm soil depth that was probably due to leaching. This mineral N is below the rooting zone of most maize plants, consequently not available to maize crop and is therefore of concern

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