Economics of Grass Strips Used as Sediment Filters in the Riparian Zones of Lake Victoria, Uganda

Abstract

Land-use change in the riparian zones has lead to flow of sediments and nutrients into Lake Victoria. Using net present value (NPV) and sensitivity analysis techniques, economic viability of Paspalum, lemon, and elephant grasses as sediment filters under maize production are determined. Findings reveal that grass strips in maize production generates NPVs of 1,620 €ha⁻¹, 1,736 €ha⁻¹, and 1,766 €ha⁻¹ for maize + Paspalum, maize + lemon and maize + elephant grass, respectively, at 5% discount rate. Sensitivity analyses show, NPVs are stable to varying discount rates but not to yield declines in maize and grasses. Overall, integrated land use to reduce sediment and nutrient fluxes is a more acceptable solution to land-constrained farmers.

Keywords:

• net present value
• grass strips
• soil erosion
• Lake Victoria
• Uganda

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the helpful comments and suggestions from the anonymous reviewers that greatly improved the overall quality of this article. The efforts of the enumerators, local leaders, and farmers in the Iguluibi micro-catchment are greatly appreciated. The funding for this study was provided by the Lake Victoria Research Initiative (VICRES) Project and the Belgian Technical Cooperation (BTC-CTB), VLIR-OI RiPaVic project Uganda.