Turkana: Irrigation schemes reviving locals' hopes of food security

Turkana building resilience against drought

Turkana: Governor says partners still needed to invest in projects

Turkana building resilience against draught Turkana farmers proudly display their produce during the bench marking event among northern frontiers countries last week. (George Orido)

Over 400 families are involved in food production on a scheme launched by the county government.

Turkana is known for its dry weather conditions that are unsuitable for food production.

However, this narrative is quickly changing due to irrigation projects the county government has begun.

Now, apart from keeping livestock, which has been the main economic activity, the county is also producing food.

Napuu Drip Irrigation Scheme is one of the initiatives that is giving locals hope in the face of despair.

The scheme covers 53 acres and involves 416 families. Over the years, the scheme has produced spinach, kale, tomatoes, peas, beans and watermelons. Traditional vegetables are also grown.

"I am hoping to harvest in the next one month and I am sure I will have enough for my own consumption and surplus to sell," says Cynthia Ewoi, who owns a piece of the land on the scheme in Lodwar. The scheme uses solar power to pump water for irrigation.

"We are doing everything possible to get partners to invest in this project. We hope to have large-scale irrigation where we will produce enough food for local consumption as well as export," Governor Josephat Nanok told a meeting in Lodwar town.

Napuu is one of the 22 irrigation projects in the county which, despite their success, still face challenges including saline water, clogged water pipes and lack of quality seeds.

Major obstacle

In addition, changing the mindset of locals from pastoralism to farming is turning out to be a major obstacle.

Apart from goat keeping, which is a major economic activity, the locals are also starting to sell skins and hides. Most of the skins are taken to Lodwar Tannery, where they are treated before they are used to produce various leather products.

These include belts, shoes, bags, wallets and key holders.

"We have learnt many lessons from Turkana. We will look into the possibility of establishing irrigation schemes and tanneries to improve the lives of our people. We will no longer take skins to Nairobi," Isiolo Deputy Governor Mohammed Guleid told the meeting.

"As you can see, ours is a real partnership where everyone is bringing their ideas. We want to build a really resilient Turkana," said UN country representative Siddharth Chatterjee, who also attended the meeting. Envoys from Germany, Israel and Norway were also present.