Rain-fed agriculture is no longer tenable; let's embrace irrigation

A maize plantation in Gikarangu village along Kaharati- Kangari road. [Boniface Gikandi, Standard]

After a prolonged drought, the rains are finally here. There is a sigh of relief across the country as farmers till their land expecting a bumper harvest while the citizens are waiting with baited breathe for prices of agricultural commodities to go down, thus bringing down the cost of living.

The dream of Kenya being the food basket of the region remains elusive as the prolonged drought destroys the little that's left of our agricultural output. Have we, as a nation, over-relied on rain -fed agriculture for too long? Is it time to change the narrative? Time and again, we have witnessed in awe as desert countries like Israel not only feed their populations, but having surplus for export.