irrigation development in kenya

Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org

THE NATIONAL IRRIGATION BOARD (NIB) ANNUAL WORKSHOP FOR PRESENTATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS AND PROPOSALS

IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT IN KENYA

BYDIRECTOR KARI


Introduction• Total Land area is 58.26 million hectares• Arable area – 11.65 million hectares• Population estimated at 42 million and increasing • Over 80% arid or semi-arid• Agriculture is the main stay of country’s economy• Irrigable soils are 13million ha (more than the arable areas)• Irrigation potential is estimated to be 1.3million ha (with conservation of

catchments, water harvesting and storage, efficient irrigation systems and practices, etc) otherwise it would be limited to 540,000 ha.

• There is on-going re-arrangements of the institutions involved in irrigation research and development, soil/water/crop/livestock management and research (The Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Authority Bill 2012; The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Bill 2012)


Historical Background of Irrigation in Kenya

• Small scale irrigation practices have been ongoing in some areas in Kenya for the past 400 years

• Large scale irrigation schemes have also been in existence from the time of the colonial era

• Farmers were forced to work in the large irrigation schemes during World War II

• Farmers had no say on management of the schemes or benefit from the produce


Background cont.• Smallholder schemes are variable farm sizes • Operated by water user groups or by farmers’ organizations

within the scheme• Produce used to meet subsistence demands as well as for

domestic and export markets• At present there are approximately 2,500 such irrigation

schemes • Covers an area of about 47,000 hectares, a figure that

accounts for 46 percent of the total area under irrigation in Kenya

• Approximately 47 percent of the active population in irrigated agriculture works in these schemes.


Background Cont.

• Large-scale schemes NIB-managed (NIB schemes)• These schemes range from several hundred to

several thousand hectares in size that produce for domestic and export markets

• National Irrigation Board (NIB) is responsible for their management and further development

• About 90 percent of Kenya’s rice is produced from NIB schemes

• Commercial flower and vegetable farms are schemes with modernized irrigation facilities


Kenya's large-scale irrigation schemes• Bura Irrigation Scheme - Situated in the coastal region, this scheme started

in the late 1970s• Hola Irrigation Scheme - This scheme, also in the coast region, • Ahero Irrigation Scheme - This project was initiated in western Kenya in

1966 for rice farming• Perkera Irrigation Scheme - This project began in 1952 in Kenya's Rift

Valley Province• Mwea Irrigation Scheme Construction began in 1956 with prisoners’

workforce• Galana about 400,000 ha recently identified as suitable for irrigation

development


Distribution of Irrigation schemes in Kenya


Constraints to Irrigation Development in Kenya

• Inadequate funding for irrigation investments• Low capacity and participation of private sector in irrigation

development• Low level of irrigation skills of the farmers• Low production and inefficient marketing systems• Inadequate institutional capacity at national level with

respect to planning• Implementation and sustainable management of

irrigation development • Inadequate capacity of institutions to handle irrigation

investments, implementation and sustainable management


Farmer training on irrigation system maintenance and operation – need for

continuous capacity building of irrigators


Research, training and extension is key to successful irrigation farming


Constraints cont

• Low agricultural water use efficiency• Ineffective and inefficient control of irrigation water• Lack of legal and regulatory framework for irrigation

development• Lack of proper agricultural land use and

management plans• Inadequate irrigation production support services

that is supported by research and technical innovation


Basin irrigation on Banana – This can be improved


Furrow irrigation – can be improved


Constraints cont

• Inadequate farm power for various farm operations

• Inadequate data base for irrigation development• Inadequate attention to drainage• Inadequate storage of water for irrigation• Competing demand for water with other users

such as hydropower, domestic use, livestock and wildlife

• Changes in river flow patterns as a result of catchment degradation and climatic changes


Improved furrow irrigation


Improved water delivery system


A pivot irrigation system as example of improved mechanized farming system


Efficient irrigation technologies such as drip irrigation, mulching, etc. can enhance productivity of water


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Rain harvested and stored for fish farming and greenhouse farming


Irrigation challenges• Poor farmer management of irrigation

schemes• Water logging• Declining soil fertility and soil erosion • Declining in water quality • Growing water scarcity• Declining in biodiversity• Land degradation and climate change with

negative impacts on irrigation


Land degradation in catchments is among threats to irrigated farming


Why Low Performance• Absence of irrigation policy• Absence of vital irrigation data for planning purposes• Poor planning of irrigation projects, particularly smallholder traditional

irrigation schemes• Inadequate soil, water and crop management data for irrigated systems• Inadequate resources on the part of the government, e.g. funds

and trained irrigation personnel• Absence of national irrigation investment criteria• Inadequate national coordination for irrigation developments• Few well trained manpower and a big component of foreign exchange• Non exploitation of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in Irrigation

development and management


Impacts of irrigation in the country

• Poverty-reduction • Improve on food security• Improve income generation • Health• Social conflicts associated with irrigation


Poverty-reduction impacts of irrigation


Vegetable production in

Turkwell irrigation scheme


Conclusion

• Irrigation suitable and effective instrument to fight poverty • Farmers should be capacity build to take responsibility in maintaining

the structures• Governmental institutions to coordinate good water governance• All existing organizational irrigation are contributing to poverty reduction

e.g. schemes under NIB • Challenges for each scheme should be addressed to ensure their

success in the long run• Major concerns of smallholder schemes are the improvement of

marketing conditions and a better access to credits• This calls for special lines of credit and the creation of marketing

cooperatives• The crucial factors for NIB schemes would include the consistent

implementation of the present reform plans


Conclusion cont.• Assigning (provisional) land-use rights and training for farmers

important• Irrigation is more and more threatened by serious environmental

problems some of these are caused by irrigation

Examples High water abstractions and unsustainable agricultural practices

Mismanagement in general such as deforestation and inappropriate land use practices


Wayforward

• Finally, we must embrace Public Private Partnership

• Develop irrigation policy urgently


Thank You

irrigation development in kenya

Documents

irrigation research

large irrigation schemes

ahero irrigation scheme

shola irrigation scheme

efficient irrigation

western kenya

smallholder schemes

livestock research bill