Analysis of Community Participation in the'. Project Cycle Management of a forestation activities in River Nyando Basin, Kenya

Abstract

Past studies indicate that limited data on community participation In afforestation projects constitutes a major constraint to rural development, frequently, leading to incorrect assessment of the forestry sector needs of rural people. The objective of this study WMG to analyze community participation in the project cycle management of afforestation activities in River Nyando basin. The basin continues to suffer from environmental de~ation, despite having one of the highest ~ concentrations of Non-Governmental Organizations involved in environmental conservation efforts. The key hypothesis of the study was that local communities' participation in afforestation projects' activities was not determined by benefits obtained by the communities from the afforestation projects. Data was collected from 150 households selected from a study population of 1,928 households using systematic sampling technique. Key results from the study indicated that two factors largely determined community participation in the afforestation projects. Community participation was significantly determined by the benefits that the communities obtained from the projects (X2 a 0.05 = 0.000); implying {hat the communities were dependent on the projects, which is not suitable for sustainability of afforestation activities. Community participation was also determined by environmental factors, especially, soil erosion (X2 a 0.05 = 0.001); implying that soil erosion was one of the major environmental problems in the study area. The hypothesis that communities' participation in afforestation projects' activities was not determined by benefits obtained by the communities from the projects was, therefore, rejected. The study concluded that community participation in the afforestation projects was largely determined by the benefits that the beneficiaries obtained from the projects. The study, therefore, recommended that afforestation projects should involve beneficiaries in 'cost-sharing' of afforestation development ventures so as to, not only ensure sustainability of afforestation activities but also avoid the problem of dependency by beneficiaries.