5. Conclusion
While soil erosion processes are complex and multifaceted, co-design of
land management policy tailored to the needs of specific communities can
be achieved through participatory engagement where scientists and the
community work together to identify evidence of the problem, evaluate
the drivers and share knowledge to inform actions. This contribution
demonstrates how communication of land degradation process knowledge,
through an established interdisciplinary participatory approach has
supported community-led change in land management in an East African
agro-pastoral community. High resolution aerial photography coupled with
flow connectivity modelling and geospatial analysis demonstrated the
importance of upslope overland flow generation and routing from recently
converted cultivated land to downslope grazing land where severe erosion
is observed and formerly believed to be wholly caused by overgrazing.
Herein community adaptability that is needed to cope with the challenges
brought by dynamic people-land-water connectivity can be undermined by a
lack of ability to respond due to a lack of ‘slack’ in their systems
caused by erosion of their resources and their options. This study
demonstrates that such barriers can be overcome wherein impact from
research evidence bases was realized though a knowledge exchange
workshop with community leaders, livestock owners, farmers and District
Council officials. Key outcomes were the formation of a tree planting
committee, implementation of a targeted planting programme of 200 trees
and shrubs in hydrologically vulnerably hot spots, new grazing
management regimes and commitment to a longer-term community land
management plan. The study demonstrates the critical importance of
integrated upstream/upslope and downstream/downslope thinking when
tackling complex soil erosion challenges.