Understanding the influence of land use and elevation gradient on soil organic carbon stocks (SOCS) is essential for effective land management, sustainable agricultural practices, and mitigation of climate change impacts. This research aimed to explore how land use types and elevation gradients influence SOCS on the eastern slopes of Mount Kenya. Using a stratified systematic sampling approach, 68 soil samples were collected from 0–20 and 20–40 cm depths, representing forestland and farmland, across six elevation gradients ranging from 1000 to 2650 m above sea level (a.s.l.). Soil samples were analysed for bulk density (BD), pH, texture, soil organic carbon concentration (SOC), and total nitrogen concentration (TN) using standard methods. The results showed that SOCS were significantly higher (p<0.001) in the forest compared to the farms. The forestland SOCS ranged from 87.40 to 168.75 Mg ha−1 at the 0–20 cm and 38.31 to 148.58 Mg ha−1 at the 20–40 cm depths. On the other hand, farmland SOCS at the 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm depths were in the range of 21.86 to 50.38 Mg ha−1 and 17.27 to 49.84 Mg ha−1, respectively. The SOCS generally exhibited a declining trend with increasing soil depth in both land use types. Elevation-wise, the mean SOCS in the aggregated 0–40 cm depth ranged from 29.21 ± 5.6 Mg ha−1 in the lower farmland (1000–1200 m a.s.l) to 141.75 ± 17.4 Mg ha−1 in the upper forestland (2350–2650 m a.s.l). There was an increasing trend in the SOCS with an increase in elevation (r² = 0.78). A significant positive correlation was observed among the studied soil parameters between SOCS, SOC and TN. In contrast, a negative correlation existed between SOCS, BD, and soil temperature for both land use types. The outcomes of this investigation provide foundational data for monitoring SOCS in the Mount Kenya ecosystem. It serves as a basis for future assessments and sustainable management strategies to promote soil health and enhance climate change mitigation measures.

Declining soil fertility continues to hinder agricultural production especially among resource-constrained smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, prompting for evaluation of the strategies used by these farming communities. In this study, we assess soil fertility management among smallholder farmers in Mount Kenya East region. The aim is to examine underlying factors conditioning the uptake of integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) practices in this region; determine the adoption relationship between the practices; and to cluster these techniques. Data for this study was collected between January–March 2019 through a household survey based on a farm household questionnaire and complemented with semi-structured interview with farmers and extension officers. Statistical analyses were generated using SPSS. We use hierarchical clustering analysis to visualize ISFM combination patterns, and correlation matrix in factor analysis to determine the inter-relationship between different ISFM practices. Fisher's exact test and Welch's t-test were used to examine the association between explanatory variables and adoption of ISFM practices. Results show that the decision to invest in fertility practices was correlated with a number of farmers' socio-economic, farm-related factors and institutional characteristics. Fertilizer application correlated significantly with manure use, agroforestry and minimum tillage. ISFM techniques were separated into 3 sets following Ward's hierarchical clustering, namely, manure, fertilizer use and agroforestry (cluster 1 or C1), slash-no-burn, residue burn and fallowing (C2); and residue application and minimum tillage (C3). The study recommends creation of an enabling environment including innovative financing opportunities to facilitate farmers' investment capacities in ISFM and cushion them from potential income loss resulting from implementation of some technologies.

A study was carried out to understand the adoption levels of water conservation practices in Meru County. The influence of water resource accessibility on adoption of water conservation (WC) practices and constraints were assessed. Tree planting, roof catchment and bench terraces were the major WC practices in use. Multiple regression analysis revealed that lack of technical know how could explain 83.5 % variations of adoption level of WC practices. One sample t-test comparing the means of WC practices among respondents' was significant at P < 0.01. Spearman's rank test revealed a decreasing trend during the long rains (March-May) for the period 1986-2008 at P < 0.05. The disparity between the levels of adoption among water users coupled with the decreasing seasonal rainfall calls for urgent and better management of water resources in the study area.

Macadamia, a member of the family Proteaceae, is widely grown in Kenya as an alternative cash crop to tea and coffee, but varieties adapted to different agro-ecological zones are still lacking. Macadamia breeders require high genetic diversity to select and recombine favorable traits through cross-breeding and hence the need for in situ conservation of existing germplasm. A survey was done to assess the variability that exists in farmers' field and how well they can differentiate between different macadamia types and to locate valuable germplasm for further evaluation and conservation. A total of 185 farmers were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire and descriptive statistics was done using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The survey results indicated that only 10.3% of the respondents could differentiate Macadamia types, by species, among them only 2.8% could do so by varieties, indicating a limited knowledge on Macadamia morphology. Nut characteristics (97.3%) followed by leaf characteristics (88.0%) and yield (88.0%) were the morphological markers mostly used by farmers. Detailed morphological and molecular characterization of some selected promising accessions is ongoing. Hence, there is a need for farmers' training on morphological markers that could be used to select valuable Macadamia germplasm for conservation in situ.