Possibilities of agricultural settlements in the northern coastal area of Kenya —an analysis of relevant climatic factors

Abstract

Kenya is one of those African countries with a very high population pressure. In cultivatable areas we find up to 650 rural inhabitants per sq km. The search for new possibilities of agricultural settlement is an indispensable task. Many sciences are involved, also the geography of climates. Probably the largest potential settlement area from the climatic point of view is the Northern coastal zone. It has been settled in medieval times much more densely than today. War-like invasions of nomads have decreased the population since the 16th century. The average density of the cultivatable strip has been less than 5 inhabitants per sqkm in the last census year 1969. New settlement schemes have been developed since 1970, but they face the difficulty to choose the right varieties of crops. Careful climatic investigations are necessary for the further selection of areas and for the agricultural extension service. Here, only a first approach has been made. The main emphasis was laid on the effective rainfall in the so-called agrohumid period of the year and its probability. A new system of climatic classification was applied to give a frame for further, more specialised studies.