Irrigation development in Kenya's dry areas will fix food security issues

Kenya's irrigation potential is about 1.342 million hectares of land. But the government has also pointed out in its long-term plan - Vision 2030 - that an additional 9.2 million hectares in arid and semi-arid regions have the potential for crop production through irrigation. Irrigation could be achieved mostly by reliance on perennial rivers, underground water and, in some cases, harvested rainwater.

The exclusion of this additional potential in most planning and policy documents, including the current National Irrigation Policy, means that the country's irrigation potential is underestimated. It is much greater than listed in most reports.