|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
For decades, the residents of Kinango and Lungalunga Sub Counties lived with the constant fear of hunger due to arid conditions that made agriculture nearly impossible, with every year, over 100,000 locals forced to rely on food aid from the government and various donors.
However, the situation has changed since the advent of devolution, as these areas now produce enough food through drip irrigation, with 250 acres being used for drip irrigation farming.
In just the past two years, the Kwale County government has constructed more than 25 dams, providing crucial water to farmers in this formerly drought-stricken region with over 4,000 farmers being included in the drip irrigation program through a partnership between the Kwale County government and the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP).
The dams in Nyalani in Puma ward, Kizingo, (Macknon road ward) Bofu (Kasemeni ward) Chikwakwani (Kasemeni ward), Mwena (Mwereni ward), Nuru ( Puma ward), Mtaa ( Mwavumbo ward), Mwaluvuno (Ndavaya ward), Shauri moyo (Samburu Chengoni ward), Mwakalanga (Mwereni ward), Chikuyu (Puma ward), are among the dams supporting drip irrigation farming, producing enough food for the local’s domestic consumption and for sale.
Kwale County Governor Fatuma Achani leading in the charge against food insecurity in the region, emphasizing that the focus will remain on tackling this challenge in the arid areas of Kinango, Samburu, and Lungalunga.
“We have already started the war against food insecurity in these arid regions. The dams we’ve constructed will help promote agribusiness and end the cycle of food scarcity,” said Achani
Esther Uchi from the Chikuyu irrigation group in Kasemeni Ward, is one of the 4,000 farmers involved in the drip irrigation program developed by the Kwale County government and the NAVCDP organization, describes how things were initially.
“In the past, you had to go all the way to Kinango or Mariakani to get vegetables. Many people depended on charcoal burning and relief food to sustain themselves. We were forced to travel as long as Mariakani and Mazeras to get vegetables, which was costly due to the transport costs.” Said Esther
Farmers like Esther agree that food scarcity, which once forced them to rely on annual food aid from the government, is now a thing of the past.
“Since we got this water project, we now grow spinach, eggplant, among many other crops enough for domestic consumption and for sale.” She added
With the presence of sufficient water for irrigation, local farmers of Kinango and Lungalunga are on track to turn their once desolate lands into thriving agricultural hubs, through the visionary efforts of the Kwale County government, making the residents not only surviving but also flourishing.
