Date of Award
2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Geography
First Advisor
Mario Mighty
Second Advisor
Sunhui Sim
Third Advisor
Franci Koti
Abstract
Climate change has intensified the risk of catastrophic natural disasters all over the world. Though impacts of the change are global, developing countries are more at risk. Although agriculture remains the backbone of Kenya’s economy, the sector’s dependence on natural resources increases its vulnerability to the aggravating impacts of climate change and variability. Climate system variations that impact staple food crops like maize (Zea mays) ultimately threaten the food security of the nation. This study examined environmental factors affecting maize productivity through regression analysis. A GIS suitability model for maize was also developed to identify Kenya’s different levels of suitability for the crop as a basis for facilitating informed decisions in planning and designing climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. To achieve this, GIS and Analytical Hierarchy Process were used and suitability model results were compared with results from field work conducted in four counties in Western Kenya. This report is sectioned into six chapters. Chapter 1 gives the background of the study. The chapter discusses climate change and its impacts on the already vulnerable agricultural communities in developing countries. It also links climate change, agriculture and food security and the researcher highlights the study’s objectives, questions and motivation.
Recommended Citation
Wanyama, Dan, "A Spatial Analysis of Climate Change Effects on Maize Productivity in Kenya" (2017). Theses. 35.
https://roar.una.edu/theses/35
