ABSTRACT
Land degradation undermines soil productivity and reduces long-term crop yields. Erosion–yield scenarios are presented which show how soil resilience and sensitivity may explain how some soils (e.g. Cambisols) remain robust even with poor management, while others (Ferralsols and Acrisols) are fragile and suffer rapid decline in production even with continuous good management. These findings are related to the indigenous soil and water conservation practices of smallholder farmers in semi-arid Kenya. These farmers adopt remarkably diverse practices, explained by their naturally diverse and difficult environment and varying resource endowments of land, labour, livestock, and capital. Thus, appreciating indigenous knowledge and farmers’ experimentation as well as adaptations to harsh environmental conditions offer a less gloomy picture of the future of smallholder agriculture in the tropics. It demonstrates that there is considerable scope for building on indigenous resource management practices to attain sustainable livelihoods, food security, and agro-biodiversity.
