Abstract:
In East Africa, majority of the population particularly in rural areas, derive their livelihoods from agriculture. Indeed the economies of most developing nations largely hinge on agriculture. However, many farmers rarely get close to the expected crop variety potential yields. While many factors are responsible for this gap such as pests and diseases, weather- related problems, soil related factors are rarely appreciated. Among the soil-related factors are: (i) inadequate use of appropriate soil management practices leading to extensive soil erosion, nutrient mining and declining soil fertility; (ii) limited soil moisture conservation which affects crop growth and development