Rural Livelihood Choices Effect on Perceived Soil Erosion in Kieni Sub Counties, Nyeri County in Kenya

Poverty continues to be the main cause of livelihood challenges in the developing world. The environmental constraints among rural populations in arid and semi-arid communities or drylands continues to be a subject of interest in development research. One of the most understated effects of livelihood activities on the human wellbeing is their implication on soil degradation. Most studies regarding poverty and the environment overlook consequences of rural livelihood choices in marginal areas on the environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate household livelihoods influence on soil erosion in Kieni East and West sub counties of Nyeri County in Kenya. This has become necessary as poor rural populations are the hardest hit in terms of negative effects of livelihoods on soil degradation. The study adopted cross sectional research design, involving mixed method approaches to collect primary and secondary sources of data. The main source of quantitative data collection was household survey, while the qualitative aspect of data was collected using focused group discussions and desk reviews. Proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to establish a 400 sample size in 10 sub locations of Kieni East and Kieni West sub counties. An independent T-Test was carried out to test statistical significance at p 0.05. The study concludes with some recommendations for policy consideration.