Nairobi:The Kenyan government aims to bring an additional 1.5 million acres of farmland under irrigation. This initiative is part of the country’s efforts to decrease dependency on rain-fed agriculture, improve food security, and increase resilience against climate variability.
According to Kenya News Agency, Principal Secretary for Irrigation Ephantus Kimotho emphasized the importance of irrigation, water harvesting, and affordable farm technology in providing farmers with reliable access to water and ensuring consistent production year-round.
During the Agriculture Summit at the Jamhuri Park ASK Showground, Kimotho outlined a government plan targeting both large-scale commercial farms and smallholder farmers. He highlighted that currently, only 500,000 out of 8.9 million registered farmers benefit from irrigation, leaving many vulnerable to erratic rainfall patterns.
Kimotho stressed the role of irrigation in achieving steady production and predictable yields, urging more farmers to adopt irrigation technologies to tackle food deficiencies and enhance food security.
The expansion plan includes developing 500,000 acres through large-scale commercial irrigation projects such as Galana-Kulalu, Gura, Isiolo, and Lake Baringo. Additionally, the government aims to support smallholder farmers via community and public irrigation schemes and improve water harvesting in arid and semi-arid regions.
Over the past four years, Kenya has increased its irrigated land by 114,000 acres, boosting agricultural production from 190,000 metric tonnes to 350,000 metric tonnes. To sustain these efforts, the government is investing in large dams, with 18 major dams either planned or under development, to secure water supplies for irrigation.
