Farmer-led irrigation development in Kenya: Characteristics and opportunities
There is renewed impetus to expand and promote irrigation development in Kenya over the next decade and beyond. According to the National Water Master Plan 2030 (GoK, 2013), irrigation potential in Kenya without water storage is estimated at 1.2 million ha, but this differs slightly with the potential of 1.342 million ha as per FAO, (2018). But the Kenya vision 2030 (GoK, 2007) goes further and points out that additionally, there are some 9.2 million hectares in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) which have the potential for crop production if irrigated. This is a powerful statement that gets omitted in most planning and policy documents including the current National Irrigation Policy (GoK, 2017). It therefore means that the irrigation potential is underestimated and much greater than listed in most reports. Generally, only 15% of potential irrigable area of Kenya has been developed (NIA, 2019). Indeed the future growth and development of the agricultural sector in Kenya will rely on developing the 83% of land that is ASAL, as well as intensifying production in the other arable areas through irrigation.
Irrigation development is a viable option for increasing agricultural production through resource mobilization, improved water productivity as well as food security. However, investments in irrigation go beyond food security, as they can be used to address poverty alleviation, wealth and employment creation in the country. Yet, “poverty reduction through irrigation” is not very evident as a policy objective in Kenya, despite the fact that farmers who have access to irrigation are likely to attain better crop productivity and higher incomes. Furthermore, the importance of irrigation is becoming critical with emerging climate change and climate variability, which render rain-fed farming risky. These considerations mean that there should be greater policy support, funding, capacity development and promotion of FLID as an important irrigation sub-sector.
