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IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT IN KENYA. BY DIRECTOR KARI. THE NATIONAL IRRIGATION BOARD (NIB) ANNUAL WORKSHOP FOR PRESENTATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS AND PROPOSALS. Introduction. Total Land area is 58.26 million hectares Arable area – 11.65 million hectares - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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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
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
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)
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
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
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
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.
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
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 Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
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
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
Distribution of Irrigation schemes in Kenya
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
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
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
Farmer training on irrigation system maintenance and operation – need for
continuous capacity building of irrigators
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
Research, training and extension is key to successful irrigation farming
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
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
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
Basin irrigation on Banana – This can be improved
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
Furrow irrigation – can be improved
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
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
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
Improved furrow irrigation
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
Improved water delivery system
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A pivot irrigation system as example of improved mechanized farming system
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
Efficient irrigation technologies such as drip irrigation, mulching, etc. can enhance productivity of water
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
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Rain harvested and stored for fish farming and greenhouse farming
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
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
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
Land degradation in catchments is among threats to irrigated farming
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
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
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
Impacts of irrigation in the country
• Poverty-reduction • Improve on food security• Improve income generation • Health• Social conflicts associated with irrigation
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
Poverty-reduction impacts of irrigation
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
Vegetable production in
Turkwell irrigation scheme
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
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
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
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
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
Wayforward
• Finally, we must embrace Public Private Partnership
• Develop irrigation policy urgently
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute www.kari.org
Thank You