Ambitious scheme set to turn Isiolo into a green desert

Isiolo, Kenya: The familiar blaring sounds of guns in Isiolo over cattle rustling may soon die as communities in the semi-arid pastoralist area embrace agricultural production as a source of livelihood.

Livestock production among the Turkana, Meru, Borana and Samburu, the main inhabitants of the region, has been the main source of  livelihood for the mostly pastoralist communities for decades.

Cattle rustling has been cited as one of the main causes of insecurity in the region, which has for years been receiving relief food from the Government due to drought.

However, the scenario is likely to change soon, thanks to the Austrian Africa Community Engagement Scheme (AACES) in partnership with Action Aid Kenya.

The two organisations, through funding from the Austrian Government have embarked on a campaign to transform the northern frontier into a food basket through agriculture.

Head of Programme and Policy Action Aid Kenya, Makena Mwobobia, says most pastoralists are willing to adapt to a new  lifestyle, if only there will be adequate provision of water.

With the multi-million shilling Kakili Irrigation Scheme in Burat estimated to cost Sh3 million, the situation is likely to change the lives of more than 400 farmers as well as dozens of other livestock farmers.

In 2012, when the AACES funded project was rolled out in Burat Ward of Isiolo South Sub County, the communities had been through severe drought that wiped out their livestock and shuttered their economic livelihood.

The situation was worsened by conflict mainly fueled by competition for resources and cattle rustling.

Consequently, Mwobobia says that most of the people were faced with serious food challenges and felt insecure as they had no other source of income.

“Some had fled to their homes in search of secure abodes, with thousands surviving on relief food provided by the United Nation World food programme (UN-WFP) and the Government of Kenya through Action Aid,” Mwobobia says.

She says water reforms and reduced water flow in the few rivers that exist prohibited the community from using furrow to irrigate their farms. “Initially, the project supported the community with small pipes as a quick fix aimed at drawing water to their farms,” she says.

Environmentaly friendly

She says the project further went ahead to explore cheaper and environmental friendlier ways of obstructing water. Engineer Jamleck Mutie, the project officer in charge of Isiolo, says scarcity of water was the main challenge facing the small-scale farmers.

 

Among the beneficiaries of the scheme is Elizabeth Kalemnyao, 38, a mother of three, who together with her visually impaired husband Moses Kalemnyao has capitalised on the project.

Ms Elizabeth says since her husband is visually impaired, his contribution to the family economic activities is limited.

Since 2003, she has been struggling to feed her family, as rainfall was erratic and unreliable. Today, she earns more than Sh10,000 from her small farm. “Before the project we depended on rain water, which was not predictable and most of our crops ended up drying. The situation was also compounded by insecurity and the Water Sector Reform Act of 2002,” Elizabeth notes.

But first, Elizabeth had to enroll at Kito Farmers Training Centre, where she was trained on, among other skills, appropriate dry farming technologies, enterprise selection and integrated disease management.

In addition, she has been supported with assorted vegetable seeds, drought tolerant seeds and seeds of tuberous crops such as sweet potatoes and cassava. Initially, Elizabeth used a petrol pump for two hours, which was very expensive. She would only switch it off when the rain starts. Today, Elizabeth can testify the project has been a blessing to the community, as it has strengthened their livelihood, which was previously pegged on rearing livestock.

However, the project, which started in 2012, has not been without challenges. Firstly, Action Aid’s efforts to secure permits from Water Resource Management Authority was not devoid of challenges. “The process was long and winding, and at some point we thought of abandoning the whole idea,” Mr Mutie says.

Joseph Elibit, the chairman of community development in the area, says the community had to use some of its advocacy skills to advocate their rights to secure the permit, which paved way for the start of the project. “The only suitable site where we could construct a dam was near the army barrack, and we had to lobby to be allowed to construct the reservoir,” Mr Elibit says.

Other difficulties experienced, and which remain a thorn in the fresh to date, were the issues of land ownership between the Kenya Defence Forces and the diverse community living in the area. “Land ownership has been a setback to farming. We are yet to get tittle deeds, so we ensure we own the land where we do our farming,” Mr Elibit says.

However, Isiolo Governor Godana Doyo has assured the farmers that not a single inch of the community land will be ceded to the military.

Mr Doyo says the County Government is surveying the land and pledges to give a tractor to help farmers till their land ready for the planting season.