We must embrace smart farms to beat drought, hunger spells

Therefore, each individual, who is able to, should take measures and make efforts to build resilience against drought to mitigate and protect ourselves against drought.

When I was a girl, we lived on the edge of the forest, surrounded by natural trees and a river that never dried. My parents carried out subsistence farming but they also planted cotton, vegetables and my maternal grandfather grew lots of tobacco and vegetable oil plants called "mbaiki" while my other grandfather kept lots of traditional cows.

Rains came when expected and in reasonable quantities and we had agricultural extension officers who visited to train and provide services to small farmers; they also taught us methods of water harvesting, how to dig furrows and to protect soil erosion. They were government people! They also came to inject and treat livestock and they didn't even stay for tea or ask for payment!

There were trees and food everywhere; except in early 1980s when drought and famine hit us because of failed rains. Nevertheless, we continued to get rains predictably. However, the local council subdivided the forest and sold it to individuals, who cut down the forests.

We started noticing changes with the river nearby drying out completely and crops beginning to fail. People abandoned cotton, tobacco, mbaiki farming and their livestock to focus on subsistence farming (maize, beans, pigeon peas, millet etc.), which also became difficult because of failed or unpredictable rains.

Farmer working in hazelnut orchard. [iStockphoto]

These call for concerted efforts and deliberate actions, investment and collaboration between national and county governments to support small and large-scale farmers, livestock and beekeepers and other forms of activities that produce food, build resilience against drought and protect our environment.

It is important to develop education programmes in all forms of farming especially dryland farming and climate-smart farming. With the benefits of internet and social media, extension officers may only be necessary in few cases.

Also, the Ministry of Agriculture may want to focus on making the study of agriculture more attractive, innovative and glamorous to attract more agricultural students and real practitioners. This is the only way to ensure food security and good nutrition for Kenya while building drought and climate resilience.

- Join the conversation @Koki_Muli @StandardKenya.