Household determinants of competing land uses in the Amboseli Ecosystem, Kenya

Across several developing countries, appropriate land allocation between competing alternatives is a fundamental problem that continues to be a developmental challenge. Amboseli Ecosystem is a key ASAL land in Kenya whose landscape in resource uses has diversified over the period 1980–2010. Cultivation of crops in an ecosystem that is suited to sustainably supporting livestock and wildlife has resulted in strained use of natural resources. This is evident from fragmentation of communal land, increased human-wildlife conflicts and reduced grazing lands. A clear understanding of the drivers of these land use decisions at the household level is lacking. Therefore, this study determines factors that households are likely to consider when allocating land to different uses in Amboseli Ecosystem. A multinomial logistic regression model using crop production, livestock keeping and wildlife conservation as main categories was used to analyze data from 295 households. Results show that acquisition of more secure land tenure resulting in settlement near water resources and development of road infrastructure, are key drivers towards crop production. Other significant factors include age of the household head, land size, household income and credit access. To ensure sustainable flow of ecosystem services from Amboseli Ecosystem, emphasis should be placed on policies that do not encourage crop production. These include cessation of expansion of infrastructure and continued conservation of water resources. The latter is particularly important in supporting co-existence of wildlife and livestock.