Community Participation and the Integration of Agroecosystem Health and Sustainability Concerns into Practical Decision Making - Integrated Assessment of Health and Sustainability of Agroecosystems - page 81

table 3.9
factors Perceived as Increasing the Risk of diseases, Kiambu district,
Kenya, 1997

Risk factors Githima Gitangu Kiawamagira mahindi Gikabu thiririka

Mosquitoes Malaria Malaria Malaria

Cold weather Flu Malaria Pneumonia Pneumonia

Colds/flu Colds/flu Colds/flu

Dust and pollen Asthma Asthma

Colds/flu

Strenuous work Backache

Arthritis
Joint pain

Stress HBP HBP

Ulcers Ulcers

Diabetes

Dietary change Ulcers

Swamps and
flooding

Malaria
Colds

Malaria

Genetic
susceptibility

Diabetes
Asthma

Poor hygiene Tuberculosis

Drinking polluted
water

Typhoid Typhoid

Bad morals AIDS

Inadequate
nutrition

All a

Agrochemicals All a All a

Old age Joint pains

Arthritis

HBP, high blood pressure
a Factor considered to increase susceptibility to all kinds of diseases

3.3.3 p r of b l e m A n A l y s i s A n D A C t i o n p l A n n i n g

3.3.3.1 Problem Identification, Ranking, and analyses

A summary of problems and concern as ranked by participants in the initial village
workshops is given in Table 3.11. Concerns common to all the villages were avail-
ability of water for domestic use, poor roads, and poor health and health facilities.
Only one village (Kiawamagira) had access to piped water, available for one half-day
per week. Roads were mainly loose surface, becoming impassable during the wet
season. Due to the hilly terrain of the agroecosystem, flooding and soil erosion were
the biggest causes of poor road conditions. Among the agriculture-related problems