ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF DEFORESTATION ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND AGRICULTURE IN KENYA

Abstract

Forests are known to have beneficial effects on the environment, influence the climate, water sources, and temperature. Forests help in conserving biodiversity, reduce harmful effects caused by chemicals from the soil, act as a carbon sink, and protecting watersheds, all of these have great benefits to both humans and the environment. The ecosystem of the forests and the environmental sustainability is at risk as a result of deforestation. Deforestation also hampers the socio-economic development in many parts of the world. Through secondary research and a descriptive research design, this paper analyzes the impacts of deforestation on the Environment and Agriculture in Kenya. According to research, agricultural activities are the major cause of deforestation globally, it accounts for about 80% of total deforestation in developing countries. Other causes of deforestation are human population growth, poor governance and corruption, illegal logging, and wildfires. Deforestation affects the environment through climate change, water loss, decreased biodiversity, habitat loss, and conflicts. Several conservation measures have been tried in various places to slow down the rate of deforestation. These include; imposing bans, legislations, devolution, public participation, barriers, and modernizing forest management. It is therefore recommended that; people need be educated about the benefits of forests and their adverse impacts that may result from deforestation, population control to avoid invasion in forested areas, adoption of sustainable and environmental-friendly agricultural practices, strengthening institutions such as legislature and judiciary to curb corruption, reduction of the continued widespread dependence of household biomass sources of energy ad adoption of Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to monitor activities in and around forests.

Keywords

• Deforestation
• agriculture
• climate change
• environmental policies

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