| dc.description.abstract | Shamba system is a scientific management of forests whereby tree seedlings are planted together with food crops to help in tendering the seedlings for 3-5 years when the trees are considered mature. An avalanche of studies in forest history have laid emphasis on the evolution of forest policies, contests and negotiations that engulfed forests in the colonial period in Kenya. These studies concur that the shamba system is under-explored in Kenyan history. Besides that, studies in economic history have not appraised the shamba system as a phenomenon that instigated economic change. Notwithstanding the shamba system success in the colonial period, the policy witnessed success in some forests in Kenya in the post-colonial period but failed in Kodera forest that continued to face forest plundering. The government’s persistence in the application of the policy in the wake of a turbulent post -colonial forest history therefore justified an investigation of the effect of the shamba system on forest management. This study was based on the premise that the shamba system has been both historically and scientifically proven to be efficient in establishing forest plantations. The purpose of the study was to find out the forces behind forest plundering in Kodera in spite of the application of the shamba system. The objectives of the study were to: Account for the factors that led to the adoption and application of the shamba system in Kodera forest, (1957-2012), describe the economic aspects that changed following the application of the shamba system in Kodera forest and finally to examine the effect of the shamba system of forest management on Kodera forest .The study adopted a historical descriptive research design. It employed purposive and snowballing sampling techniques. The study area was Kodera forest whose total population people was 8261. The sampled population was 60 respondents. Primary data was collected through Key Informant Interview Guide (15), In-depth- Interview Guide (15) and Focus Group Discussion (30) while secondary data was collected through library research and also from archival reports. Articulation of modes of production theory as articulated by Ray (1977), Pee (1980) and Berman (1985) was adopted in the study. Content validity was ensured through evaluation and correction of research instruments. Reliability of data was done through reconnaissance. Data analysis involved both document and content analysis besides corroborating both secondary and primary data. Presentation of data was done in prose and tables. The study found out that era of disease and epidemic informed the adoption of the shamba system. Besides disease and epidemic, scientific ascendancy era in 1957 led to the adoption of the shamba system to diversify employment in forests. The study further revealed that the shamba system accentuated economic change in Kodera forest when new markets were established and new breeds of tree seedlings were exchanged for money. People migrated from various areas to work in the forest to earn a living. While the policy enhanced forest management and alleviated forest destruction through fires in the colonial period, in the post –colonial period, the policy failed to establish forest plantations due to corruption. The study concludes that the shamba system was still the best approach to forest establishment and communal participation in terms of their technical approach to forest conservation is critical. The study further concludes that plant transfers from the Metropole that was witnessed during the application of the shamba system was an imperial impulse that was geared towards relegating African plants in Kodera forest by adopting exotic species. The study recommended that participation of all stakeholders in forest management be enhanced in order to accommodate dissenting voices such as the community and civil society in pursuit of the core mission of the shamba system practices. The study is significant in demonstrating how forests can be best established and conserved through the shamba system approach to mitigate deforestation as a driver of climate change. | en_US |
