Linking Environmental Security, Water Security and Food Security for Sustainable management of Chepkoilel-Sergoit Water Catchment

Due to the steadily increasing population of Eldoret Town, which forms part of Chepkoilel-Sergoit Catchment (CSC), CSC has undergone unprecedented land use and land cover transformations. The catchment is progressively becoming a small-scale farming area, with irrigation farming taking precedence over rain-fed agriculture. The intensification of agriculture will inevitably require more water resources. For sustainable development and management of resources in CSC there is, therefore, need to recognise the link in the life supporting systems. This study linked land/water and water/biodiversity systems as an integrated catchment-based approach to sustainable development. The catchment was delineated and subdivided into three zones based on land use/land cover (LULC) and topography: Upper zone (UZ), Middle zone (MZ) and Lower zone (LZ). The Catchment characteristics investigated, included i) the geology, ii) land use/land cover change, iii) the soils, iv) the hydrology, and v) the ecosystem. Overall, there is a 46% loss in forest cover accentuated by increasing levels of land cultivation. There is therefore urgent need for a landscape restoration approach that links environment security to water and food security. Key words: Chepkoilel-Sergoit Catchment, Environmental Security, Kenya, Sustainable resource Management