1. IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT IN KENYABY
DIRECTOR KARI
THE NATIONAL IRRIGATION BOARD (NIB) ANNUAL WORKSHOP FOR PRESENTATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS AND PROPOSALS

2. Introduction Total Land area is 58.26 million hectares
Arable area – 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)

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

7. Distribution of Irrigation schemes in Kenya

8. 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

9. Farmer training on irrigation system maintenance and operation – need for continuous capacity building of irrigators

10. Research, training and extension is key to successful irrigation farming

11. 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

12. Basin irrigation on Banana – This can be improved

13. Furrow irrigation – can be improved

14. 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

15. Improved furrow irrigation

16. Improved water delivery system

17. A pivot irrigation system as example of improved mechanized farming system

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

19. Rain harvested and stored for fish farming and greenhouse farming19

20. 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

21. Land degradation in catchments is among threats to irrigated farming

22. 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

23. Impacts of irrigation in the country
Poverty-reduction
Improve on food security
Improve income generation
Health
Social conflicts associated with irrigation

24. Poverty-reduction impacts of irrigation

25. Vegetable production in Turkwell irrigation scheme

26. 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

27. 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

28. Wayforward
Finally, we must embrace Public Private Partnership
Develop irrigation policy urgently

29. Thank You