Articles | Volume 12, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-451-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-451-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Original research article
| 
22 Apr 2026
Original research article |
| 22 Apr 2026
| 22 Apr 2026
Soil degradation assessment across tropical grassland of Western Kenya
John N. Quinton
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
Gabriel Yesuf
Rural Payments Agency, Geospatial Services, Reading, UK
German Baldi
Instituto de Matemática Aplicada San Luis – Universidad Nacional de San Luis & CONICET, San Luis, Argentina
Mengyi Gong
School of Mathematical Sciences, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
Kelvin Kinuthia
Mazingira Centre for Environmental Research and Education, International Livestock Research Institute, Naivasha Rd, PO 30709, Nairobi, Kenya
Ellen L. Fry
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
Yuda Odongo
School of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, University of Kabianga, P.O. Box 2030-20200, Kericho, Kenya
Barthelemew Nyakundi
School of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, University of Kabianga, P.O. Box 2030-20200, Kericho, Kenya
Joseph Hitimana
School of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, University of Kabianga, P.O. Box 2030-20200, Kericho, Kenya
deceased, 9 January 2025 and 19 September 2025
Patricia de Britto Costa
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
Alice A. Onyango
Mazingira Centre for Environmental Research and Education, International Livestock Research Institute, Naivasha Rd, PO 30709, Nairobi, Kenya
Sonja M. Leitner
Mazingira Centre for Environmental Research and Education, International Livestock Research Institute, Naivasha Rd, PO 30709, Nairobi, Kenya
Richard D. Bardgett
Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
Mariana C. Rufino
Chair of Livestock Systems, TUM School of Life Sciences, Building 4308, Liesel-Beckmann Straße 4, 85354 Freising, Germany
deceased, 9 January 2025 and 19 September 2025
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Solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF), a tiny optical signal emitted from the core photosynthetic machinery, has emerged as a promising tool to evaluate vegetation growth from satellites. We find satellite SIF can capture intra-seasonal (i.e., from days to weeks) vegetation dynamics of dryland ecosystems, while greenness-based vegetation indices cannot. This study generates novel insights for developing effective real-time vegetation monitoring systems to inform climate risk management.
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Short summary
We studied soil degradation in smallholder grazing areas in Western Kenya, comparing remote sensing (RS) classifications with soil data from 90 sites. Carbon and nutrient measures aligned somewhat with RS, but fast-changing variables did not. Results suggest combining RS with microbial biomass C, soil P, % C, % N, and pH can improve detection of degraded soils and guide restoration efforts
We studied soil degradation in smallholder grazing areas in Western Kenya, comparing remote...
