Assessing the Impact of Wind Erosion in Baringo County, Kenya

CYRUS KIMUTAI KIPRONO

Wind erosion poses substantial threats to soil health and agricultural productivity in arid and semi-arid environments globally. In response to the escalating environmental challenge of wind erosion, this study, centered in Baringo County, employs a blend of remote sensing and GIS techniques alongside the Revised Wind Erosion Equation (RWEQ) model. The study spans a 25-year period, with a main objective of assessing the spatial-temporal impact of wind erosion on soil loss hence offering a long-term perspective on the dynamics of wind erosion.
The issue of soil destabilization and reduced agricultural productivity, primarily aggravated by land use changes and deforestation serves to fuel this study. These transformations prompt an urgent need for a comprehensive understanding of erosion processes and effective mitigation strategies. The methodology encompasses the utilization of Landsat data, Terra Climate data, and Africa Soil Grids data, to compute the parameters which serve as inputs for calculating Soil loss and mapping susceptibility by utilizing the RWEQ model.
The study demonstrates a steady rise in soil loss in Baringo County, increasing from 27.90 in 1995 to 35.96 Kg/Ha in 2020. Notably, 2005 marked a peak at 37.73 Kg/Ha. The study also evaluates the efficiency windbreaks in countering wind-induced soil erosion. Through analyses of average windbreak parameters such as width and optical porosity, the research provides quantitative insights into the effectiveness of these measures. The observed reduction in soil loss in Perkerra region in Baringo county from a maximum of 1.9 in 2010 to 0.8 kg/ha in 2020 supports the practical efficiency of windbreaks in mitigating erosive impacts, emphasizing their role as valuable tools in soil conservation strategies.