Soils
Soils of the Naivasha catchment are predominantly of two kinds: either of volcanic origin and sandy, or alluvial soils deposited when the lake was very much larger, tens of thousands of years ago. Sandy lake deposits formed unstable, poorly aggregated soils, such as vertisols, that are highly prone to degradation and erosion.
The higher slopes of the Lake Basin are endowed by fertile clay-rich soils, rich in nutrients (for example: nitosols) exposed after recent deforestation. These soils sustain intensively farmed small-holder subsistence plots. Typical cultivations include: potatoes, cabbage, peas, beans, and fresh vegetables. Several of these are produced for export.
