Severe drought has affected Kenya in the past decades reducing crop yields leaving millions of people in dire need of food. Drought cycle in Kenya has reduced increasing drought frequency in the recent decades. This study assessed drought characteristics in Laikipia West sub-County which lies in a region classified as arid and semi arid. The specific objective of the study was to analyze seasonal and annual drought characteristics in Laikipia West subCounty between 1984 and 2014. The study adopted documentary review design in the data collection. Standard Precipitation Index was used during the data analysis process. The drought years identified in Laikipia West subCounty were : 1984, 1985, 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2008 and 2009. The seasonal drought events shows that for the period under study Laikipia West sub-County has never experience drought during the MAM and OND seasons in the same year. This explains the importance of seasonal climate forecast to crop farmers. The study also established that the average drought cycle in the study area is 3 years. The study recommends construction of mega water reservoirs which could collect water during the wet season to be utilized during the dry seasons. The study also recommends channeling of drought information through the government agencies at the beginning of every season.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the key challenges facing potato production in Oljoro-Orok division. Primary data were obtained from randomly selected farmers through questionnaires. Purposive sampling was used to select 300 farmers in the division. Proportionate sampling was used to select the sample of farmers in each of the four locations. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics namely frequencies, percentages and means with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 17.0 and a SWOT matrix computed. Rainfall variations, lack of clean seeds and crop diseases have been found to be the major challenges facing potato production in the division. 45% of the respondents see rainfall variation as the main cause of decreased potato yields, 33% lack of clean seeds and 6% crop diseases. The study found that farmers use crop diversification and off season approaches to adapt to rainfall variability. The study recommends adaptation measure to be applied to cope with rainfall variation. Such measures include irrigation using water available in Jacob, Terracin and Kivindo dams during dry spelt. A lot of emphases on the use of certified seeds should be done by the agriculture field officers to caution farmers from planting the same potatoes they harvested in the previous harvest.
The paper analyzed agricultural production potential in light of climate variability in Oljoro-orok division in Kenya. The objective of the paper was to evaluate the available opportunities and assess the challenges that may limit agricultural production in light of climate variability threats in the division. Climate variability variables such as severe drought and frequent flooding has caused a lot of suffering to human being and animals in the world today due to hunger, increased cases of diseases and destruction of their habitats. Households' adaptations and responses to climate change cannot be seen in isolation from the state in which they operate in. External adaptations practices fail to reflect local needs and priorities, leading to low adoption of external interventions. The study explored the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threat in Oljoro-orok division in place to adapt to climate change using a SWOT analysis. SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. A SWOT matrix was developed using matching and conversion method and used in the analysis of the adaptive capacity of the division. The study found that there are strengths and opportunities which when well utilised will help counter the weaknesses and threats and adapts to climate change and increase agricultural production.
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