| dc.description.abstract | Likuyani Sub -County is ideal climate and high-quality soil for farming, especially maize
cultivation—a major crop in Kenya—Likuyani Sub-County has established itself as the
nation's main hub for the production of maize and seeds. Though Kenya has a reputation
for producing maize, recent reports have shown a worrying reduction in the country's
output, forcing the government to import the crop to make up for the gap. This decrease
is associated with rapid population increase, which leads to significant changes in land
usage and the division of agricultural land into smaller, less profitable units. A major
problem, particularly in arid and semi-arid areas, is the potential negative impact of these
changes on rural livelihoods. The goal of the study was to understand the complex
dynamics and driving forces behind changes in land use and land cover, with a particular
emphasis on land used on production of maize in Likuyani Sub-County between 1997
and 2017. Sentinel 2A, Landsat 7 ETM+, and Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS satellite imagery for
the corresponding years were carefully examined utilizing pixel-oriented supervised
image classification methods. For verification and analysis, questionnaires, GPS data
collecting, ground observations, and additional data were used. ArcGIS, Microsoft Office
software, and ERDASS IMAGINE are examples of analytical tools that made data
interpretation and statistical analysis easier. Between 1997 and 2017, the analysis showed
a notable yearly decrease of 8.92% in area used for maize production, in contrast to an
annual growth of 10.87% in land occupied by structures. Coverage of grasses and shrubs
decreased by 0.31% every year, whereas sections of woodland and swamps stayed mostly
unchanged. Regression analysis among other statistical techniques revealed the
detrimental impact of land alterations on maize producing land. The study urges the quick
identification and use of the best land management techniques in Likuyani Sub-County in
light of these findings. The identification, development, and implementation of
sustainable land management methods necessitates the active participation of all pertinent
stakeholders, especially local populations. | en_US |
