The impact of land use and land cover change on water resources and its implication for smallholder farmers in Rwanda Case of Lake Cyohoha North (2013-2023)

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%.