Community Participation and the Integration of Agroecosystem Health and Sustainability Concerns into Practical Decision Making - Integrated Assessment of Health and Sustainability of Agroecosystems - page 75

table 3.5
attributes Included in trend line diagrams, Kiambu district, Kenya, 1997

attribute Githima Gitangu Kiawamagira mahindi Gikabu thiririka

Availability of
farmland

D D D

Availability of firewood D D D

Crop diseases I I I

Crop yield D I D D

Education I

Emigration I

Extension services D D

Farm sizes D D D

Farming intensity I I

Flooding I I I

Food production D D D

Human diseases I I I

Human population I I I I

Land under cultivation I I I I

Livestock diseases I

Livestock numbers I

Livestock yield D I D

Number of farmers I

Rainfall D D D

Soil erosion I I I

Soil fertility D D D D D

Traditional crops D

Traditional livestock
breeds

D D

Tree cover D D D

Unemployment I

Use of agrochemicals I I

Water for domestic use D D

Water quality D

Blank, not included; D, decrease; I, increase

In Gitangu village, the most significant trends were reported to be a decline
in soil fertility, change in the types of crops and livestock produced, reduction in
rainfall, and a decline in the availability of firewood. Sorghum, sweet potatoes, mil-
let, njahi ( Dolichos lablab ), bananas, cassava, maize, and beans were reported to
have been the major crops in the 1930s. Production of these crops declined from the
1940s, reportedly due to changes in dietary preferences. Sorghum, millet, and njahi
were no longer produced. Pyrethrum was introduced in 1947, but production ceased
in the early 1970s due to low prices. Sweet potato production was severely hampered
by pests (moles and termites) as was production of beans (weevils) and Irish potatoes