160 AJAE 1(5):160-164 (2010) ISSN:1836-9448 Mechanization status in the Lake Victoria Basin of East Africa A.N. Gitau 1* , L.L. Kasisira 2 and Z.M. Mganilwa 3 1 Deaprtment of Environmental and Biosystems Engineering, University of Nairobi, P. O. Box 30197 Nairobi, Kenya 2 Department of Agricultural Engineering, Makerere University, P. O. Box 7062 Kampala, Uganda 3 Department of Agricultural Engineering, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P. O. Box 3003, Morogoro, Tanzania * Corresponding Author: gitauan@yahoo.co.uk; ayub.gitau@uonbi.ac.ke Abstract The study evaluated the mechanization status in the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) of East African countries namely; Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Baseline survey was conducted using semi-structured questionnaires. Initial soil physical and fertility analysis were conducted. It was established that tractor mechanization is not highly practiced while draft animal use is widely practiced in the study areas. Soil physical characterization showed that, the soil largely lay between loamy sand and sandy loam. The changes in soil texture with depth were significant (at 5% level) whereby the clay contents increased with depth indicating clay alleviation. Water content also increased with depth. The differences were not significant but this shows that, under proper rooting environment, more water could be harvested from the lower B-horizons. Soil strengths were high, ranging between 1.1 and 2.0 Mg/m 3 and increased with depth. Although the differences in soil strengths with depth were not significant (at 5% level) the means at the 15-30 cm depth were high at 1.5677 Mg/m 3 . This indicates the need for sub-soiling and ripping to initially break and shatter the hardpan. In all sites; % C was very low (mean of 0.5790%), % N ranged from poor to medium with a mean of 0.1193%, P (ppm) was medium to high with a mean of 6.02 and the pH was medium (mean of 7.2). Hence, there is need to further evaluate conservation tillage practices and other appropriate technologies in mechanization and possibilities of their introduction in the LVB. Keywords: Conservation; Hardpan; Sedimentation; Soil Strength; Survey; Tillage Introduction The water quality in the Lake Victoria continues to decline day after day. Research findings attribute this to the increase in population pressure in the region, un-environmentally friendly land use and management (Tenywa and Majaliwa, 1998). The major socio-economic activities of about 30 million inhabitants in the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) with an approximate total land area of 193,000 sq. km are agriculture and fishing. As the population growth in the great lake region increase at a rate of about 3% annually, the demand for natural resources also increases and land-use changes continue to occur, pollution loading is intensified making the Lake Victoria and its catchments an alarming ecological risk (World Bank, 1996). Expansion of the agricultural land, the method of land tillage has severely degraded the land due to erosion depleting the fertile land, which in turn causes sedimentation into the Lake. The way soils are cultivated today needs to be drastically changed (Lagat et al., 2007; Saxton and Baker, 1990). The common practice of using an ox-plough and hand-hoe leaves the soil surface loose and unprotected, which makes it vulnerable to erosion while also accelerating the oxidation of organic matter (Dumanski et. al., 2006). In general, soils in tropical countries do not need to be tilled. Interventions using machinery should be reduced to the minimum possible levels. The most desirable form of tillage is conservation tillage, which leaves a protective blanket of leaves, stems and stalks from the previous crop on the surface. This cover shields the soil surface from heat, wind and rain, keeps the soils cooler and reduces moisture losses by evaporation. Less tillage also means lower fuel and labour costs (Baker, 1994; Hunt, 1981). Literature shows that farmers have applied minimum tillage for a long time. But according to FAO, with the advent of tractors, the tendency was to increase tillage and farmers started to believe that the more you till the soil, the more yield you get. Unfortunately, more tillage causes more erosion and soil degradation, especially in warmer areas where the topsoil layer is thin. Today, the concept of conservation tillage is mainly applied in America where more than 14 million hectares are cultivated by this method; in contrast, only relatively small patches under conservation tillage are to be found in the rest of the world (CTIC, 2005). The Lake Victoria basin (LVB) is among the high potential areas for production of cash and food crops, fishing, mining, commercial and industrial development. However, due to fast changes in land uses, Lake Victoria shoreline and the surroundings suffer from high environmental degradation and sedimentation of the lake and rivers. A high population growth rate in an already densely populated area has led to intensification of agriculture, expanding settlements and industrial development. The increased pressure on land resources coupled with inappropriate land use practices have contributed to environmental degradation as manifested in