Kirinyaga: Farmers in Kirinyaga County are reaping big from irrigation projects initiated by the County Government. The projects, aimed at increasing access to irrigation water supply, have enabled thousands of households to undertake subsistence farming, thus increasing agricultural productivity, enhancing food security, and uplifting the living standards of many families in the rural areas.
According to Kenya News Agency, under an elaborate plan by the County Government to increase the distribution network of both domestic and irrigation water to the county residents, more than 70 water projects have been completed while another 80 projects are ongoing. The government has been distributing water pipes and fittings as well as funding micro tunneling for various projects across the county, with the commitment to supporting farmers to increase agricultural production in light of resource scarcity and climate change.
One of the successful projects is the Kiamuka Irrigation Water Project in Mutira Ward in Kiri
nyaga Central. The project benefits 800 households and has been transforming households through subsistence crop farming enabled by efficient water management even when there is no rainfall. Even though the farms served by the project are generally fertile and have the potential of producing bumper harvests, farming was always a challenge owing to over-dependence on rainfall. This would make farmers only cultivate during the rainy seasons, thereby subjecting many families to food insecurity.
With the completion of the project, however, the story has changed, and farmers can now irrigate their farms and get a bumper harvest throughout the year. John Maina, a resident of Kariko village and one of the beneficiaries of this project, narrated how they used to fetch water from the river, a tedious and time-wasting task that often deprived them of time to attend to other activities. But with the project, they only allocate a few minutes to water their crop and then go about their other duties.
‘Before the project
was initiated, we struggled to grow enough food for our families, but now we can irrigate our farms and grow crops such as vegetables whereby we produce enough for our families and sell the surplus to the market, thus creating employment for ourselves,’ said Maina.
The Chairman of the Kiamuka Irrigation Water Project, Peter Muthii, said that the availability of water has greatly benefited farmers since they can now cultivate throughout the year. He said that despite it being a dry season, he was expecting to harvest his tomatoes from his small piece of land. ‘The County Government has been assisting us with water distribution pipes, micro tunneling as well as training on proper use and maintenance of irrigation systems. Many farms in this area are evergreen since farmers don’t have to wait for the rains to grow their crop,’ said the Chairman.
Roselyn Muriithi, a retired government officer who is now a small-scale farmer, said with irrigation water, she no longer has to go to the market to buy vegetables sin
ce she gets them from her farm. She is intercropping coffee, assorted vegetables as well as livestock farming. Most of the farmers use sprinkle irrigation methods while a few of them have installed drip irrigation systems.
The County Executive Committee Member for Water and Irrigation, James Kinyua Mutugi, said that Kiamuka is one of the impacts of a well-coordinated plan by Governor Waiguru to ensure that Kirinyaga people benefitted from the county government through such strategic partnerships. ‘Such projects provide an opportunity for job creation through farming given that it is the mainstay of our county. The County Government is expanding the water distribution network to reach more households with about 100,000 families targeted for irrigation water projects across the county. We aim at ensuring that our people are engaged economically and that their standards of living is uplifted,’ he said.