The government of Kenya through the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation has commissioning 20 tanks that store rainwater for irrigation of several farms in Gatundu North Sub-County.
The project aims to increase agricultural yields in Gatundu North. They will improve the supply of water for irrigation. In Gatundu North, as in the rest of the country, drought causes water stress and degradation of agricultural land.
The new tanks will store rainwater that will be used mainly during the dry season. The installation of these water retention facilities is part of the Sustainable Land Management (SLM) project, an initiative co-financed by the Kenyan government and the World Bank through the International Development Association (IDA).
Curbing drought
According to the Ministry an additional 120 tanks will be built in Kiambu County to supply water to farmers in Gatundu South, Lari, Limuru and Kikuyu. The TDM project will be rolled out to 20 other counties in Kenya. The damage caused by droughts in Kenya is increasing. 20 out of the 47 counties in the country are already on alert. This situation affects more than one million people who are food insecure. The government is helping cub the problem through funding of various irrigation projects including a US $30.3million project.
Phase I of this project, will see the Coast Development Authority set up irrigation schemes for 100 smallholder farmers in Nakuruto and Challa communities. The coastal counties of Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu and Tana River will follow.
Farmers in these counties are expected to increase their agricultural production (banana, maize, beans, cabbage, pepper, tomatoes, onions and Brussels sprouts), thus improving food security in these arid localities.
