Population growth and poverty in Machakos District, Kenya

Recent studies in sub-Saharan Africa, have shown environmental conservation occurring during long periods of population growth. This paper uses househ old-level data to show how such changes in Machakos District, Kenya have be en accompanied by a polarization of land holdings, differential trends in a gricultural productivity, and a decline in food self sufficiency within the study area. Farmers have therefore become more dependent upon non-agricult ural sources of income to maintain their livelihoods. Households with acces s to urban derived non-farm income are able to accumulate land and undertak e agricultural innovation. In contrast, those who depend on agricultural la bour markets are finding it difficult to cope with more people. These resul ts demonstrate that when the 'Machakos experience' of population growth and environmental transformation is examined at a household level, it is shown to be neither a homogenous experience nor a fully unproblematic one.