Abstract:
This study seeks to investigate the effects of land use and land cover change (LULC) on
Lake Cyohoha and its implication for smallholder farmers in Rwanda. This project's specific
objectives were as follows: To determine the driving factors of LULC change in the Lake
Cyohoha catchment from 2013 to 2023, to determine the effects of LULC change in the
Lake Cyohoha catchment from 2013 to 2023, to conduct the impacts of LULC change in
the Lake Cyohoha catchment on Smallholder farmers from 2013 to 2023. The findings
shown that the driving factors of LULC change in the Lake Cyohoha catchment from 2013
to 2023 were infrastructure expansion, agriculture, and expansion and while underlying
factors are political, economic, technological, demographic, environmental and cultural
factors. The findings shown that the driving factors of LULC change in the Lake Cyohoha
catchment from 2013 to 2023 were infrastructure expansion, agriculture, and expansion
and while underlying factors are political, economic, technological, demographic,
environmental and cultural factors. The table 7 shows that in 2013, water body area
covered 2,358.87 ha which is 30.3%, agriculture area covered 4,694.9 ha which is 60.3%;
residential area covered 632.5 ha which is 8.2% while the health vegetation area covered
97.5 ha which is 1.2%. This implicates that agriculture land use area was at high level with
4694.9 ha and 60.3% 5 of the total area of Lake Cyohoha catchment in 2013. The table 8
shows that in 2024, agriculture area covered 5,721.9 ha which is 73.5%, water body area
covered 2004.5 ha which is 25.7%; residential area covered 36.1 ha which is 0.5% and
health vegetation area has 20.79 ha which is 0.3%. This implicates that water body area
covered 2004.5 ha with 25.7% 5 of the total area of Lake Cyohoha catchment in 2023
and it was reduced in 202compared to the ones of 2013. Based on the figure 22, 17 land
use land cover of Lake Cyohoha catchment undergoes with many changes from 2013 to
2023. Due to different factors such as infrastructure expansion, agriculture, political factors,
economic factors, technological factors, demographic factors, environmental factors and
cultural factors, Cyohoha Lake catchment show many changes from 2013 to 2023. As
indicated by the table above, the types of land use land cover of Cyohoha Lake catchment
have changed from 2013 to 2023. Agriculture area has increased from 2013 to 2023 at
11.2%. Water body area decreased from 2013 to 2023 at 4.6%. Residential area
decreased from 2013 to 2023 at 0.5%. Health vegetation increased from 2013 to 2023 at
0.9%.
