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- Title
Communities and contrasting values attached to pasture weeds: the case of the Maasai and Kamba peoples in south-east Kenyan rangelands.
- Authors
Munyasi, Joseph W.; Nichols, J. Doland
- Abstract
More than 20% of Kenya's population lives on rangelands, which account for over 80% of the total landmass and support more than 50% of the national livestock herd. As these areas have experienced a major livestock (cattle) productivity decline due to encroachment on pastures by woody weeds, government efforts are targeted at increasing palatable grass cover. Paradoxically, these efforts have been less than successful, as some communities do not identify some weeds as a nuisance, in fact ascribing value to them. To identify specifically what such values are, as well as perceived problems with woody weeds, interviews were conducted with 165 respondents in two distinct ethnic groups (Maasai and Kamba) practising different production systems within the Kenyan rangelands. We found that the groups had complex attitudes toward "woody weeds", seeing both negative and positive aspects to them. Both groups thought predominately that woody weeds lowered grass quantity and quality. Both communities appreciated some weeds as forage for livestock and sources of firewood, while variations existed between the two communities in their use of woody weeds for construction, bee forage and soil conservation. It is concluded that woody plants on these rangelands cannot be exclusively be classified as weeds, but rather need to be included in systems of rangeland management.
- Subjects
KENYA; RANGE management; WEEDS; WOODY plants; LIVESTOCK productivity; AGRICULTURAL sociology; PASTURE management; MAASAI (African people); KAMBA (African people)
- Publication
Agroforestry Systems, 2007, Vol 70, Issue 3, p185
- ISSN
0167-4366
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10457-007-9050-0