National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS)
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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
The livestock sector in the semi-arid areas of Kenya is under increasing pressure due to climate change that often manifests in frequent and severe droughts. Human population upwards shifts and land tenure and use changes aggravate the problem, with the resultant heightened vulnerability denying the livestock segment its rightful place in the social and economic system in the region. This paper shares experiences based on a study directed at exploring drought related livestock management practices in the semi-arid areas with a focus on prevailing resilience, mitigation and recovery. The study took the case study of the Ikanga-Kyatune Ward in Kitui South of Kenya and administered structured questionnaires to households and key informants. The accrued data was analyzed through use of descriptive statistics. The findings show that the increasing drought episodes lead to a shortage of feed and water, which result in starvation and death of livestock, jeopardizing the living ways of people. Absence of comprehensive planning for drought is identified by 75% of the study participants to offer the highest limitation to sustainable livestock sector sustenance. The overall recommendation is on laying focus on proactive measures characterized by apposite planning to reduce the impacts of weather change on livestock. To enhance resilience, the study vouches for integrating livestock livelihood adaptation strategies into localized development plans and embracement of timely and well-informed decision-making, and region-specific interventions while carefully considering the trade-offs associated with the strategies.
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