Abstract:
The changing environment and levels of resource endowment in the Lake Victoria Basin have
necessitated increased human activities as a survival technique, in an attempt to reduce poverty levels
and ensure food security at the household level. This study examined the dynamics in human activities
of the local communities of the Lake Victoria Basin of Kenya. Participatory Research techniques were
used to gather information from the respondents in the community on selected variables. It is apparent
that the major constraints that have encouraged changes in the land use patterns and livelihood
diversification were low education, poor agricultural technology and knowledge, environmental,
economic, cultural and social factors. There were constraints such as decreased food crop yields
[maize, beans, sweet potatoes] and low production levels, decreased food crop variety and diversity,
reduced food and nutrient diversity, unsustainable changes in food consumption patterns, reduced
sources of water and decreased water volume. There is a strong link between the traditional systems in
natural resource management, besides re-afforestation, education on wetland use and management.
