The Fragility of Agricultural Landscapes and Resilience of Communities to Landslide Occurrence in the Tropical Humid Environments of Kigezi Highlands in South Western Uganda
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Date
2019
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer, Cham.
Abstract
This chapter examines the influence of agricultural land uses on the
occurrence of landslides in the humid tropical environments of Kigezi highlands in
South Western Uganda. Analysis of the agricultural land use practices is a prerequisite
to understanding landscape fragility and community resilience to landslide
hazards. An analysis of agricultural land use patterns was undertaken through interpretation
of Sentinel 2A images for 2016. The imagery data was acquired from the
European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinels Scientific Data Hub. Field surveys
and investigations were also carried out to establish and map the spatial distribution
of landslide hazards. Six agricultural land use categories were identified, namely,
annuals, perennials, grazing, fallow, wood lots and agroforestry. Considering the
agricultural land use patterns, annual crops are the dominant agricultural land use
type spanning 69% of the total area followed; by perennials (13%). Grazing land
and fallows covered 11% and 5%, respectively. The study revealed that annual crop
land is the most affected agricultural land use category. Out of the 65 landslide scars
mapped, 31% occurred on annual crop areas. Wood lot areas experienced the least
landslide occurrence (4%). A close spatial distribution of agricultural land use practices
and landslide occurrence is discernible. It is recommended that a comprehensive
tree planting campaign be carried out in areas prone to landslides since it was
inferred that wood lots suffered least from landslides. It is also recommended that
farmers be encouraged to restore and manage terrace bunds which could help to
check on water velocity and consequently increase on slope stability.
Description
Keywords
Agricultural land uses, Landslides, Tropical environments
Citation
Nseka, D., Bamutaze, Y., Mugagga, F., & Nakileza, B. (2019). The fragility of agricultural landscapes and resilience of communities to landslide occurrence in the tropical humid environments of Kigezi Highlands in South Western Uganda. In Agriculture and Ecosystem Resilience in Sub Saharan Africa (pp. 279-305). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12974-3_13