Kenya targets doubling irrigated land to boost food security by 2028

Kenya plans to nearly double the acreage under irrigation over the next two years as part of an ambitious strategy aimed at enhancing food security, increasing agricultural productivity, and building resilience against climate change.

The State Department for Irrigation, through the National Irrigation Sector Investment Plan (NISIP), has unveiled a roadmap that seeks to increase the area under irrigation from 664,000 acres recorded in the 2021/2022 financial year to 1.29 million acres by the 2027/2028 financial year.

According to the Department, the expansion is expected to significantly boost agricultural output, create jobs, improve household incomes and support the government's Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).

Speaking during the Head of Public Service Monthly Meeting with Accounting Officers at Konza Technopolis, Irrigation Principal Secretary Ephantus Kimotho said the country is positioning irrigation as a key pillar in achieving sustainable food production amid increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.

The plan projects a sharp increase in water available for irrigation from 55.4 million cubic metres in the 2021/2022 financial year to 2.38 billion cubic metres by 2027/2028, ensuring farmers have access to reliable water supplies throughout the year.

Under the maize value chain, irrigated maize production is expected to rise from 200,000 bags to more than 5 million 90-kilogramme bags through expanded irrigation infrastructure and improved water access for farmers.

PS Kimotho said the State department is also working to operationalise the Galana Kulalu Food Security Project, which is expected to support the production of more than 14 million bags of maize annually from 200,000 acres under irrigation.

Among the milestones already achieved at the project are the construction of a major intake and a reservoir with a capacity of 450,000 cubic metres.

The State department noted that Project Nafaka is also being implemented in phases, with its third phase targeting the cultivation of 20,000 acres within the next 30 months.

In the rice subsector, the government aims to increase paddy rice production to 700,000 metric tonnes by 2027 through modernization of irrigation schemes and expansion of irrigated acreage.

Key interventions include converting public irrigation schemes into gravity-fed systems, solarising irrigation infrastructure to lower energy costs, rehabilitating more than 78,000 acres under existing schemes, and expanding a further 27,500 acres dedicated to rice production.

The State department estimates that rice production in public irrigation schemes will increase from 305,000 metric tonnes to 570,000 metric tonnes, while commercialisation of an additional 35,000 irrigated acres could contribute another 420,000 metric tonnes annually.

If achieved, total rice production could reach approximately 990,000 metric tonnes, helping bridge the country's rice deficit and reducing reliance on imports.

The irrigation roadmap also prioritises the horticulture sector, with plans to connect more than 100,000 farmers to irrigation water through community irrigation schemes and an additional 10,000 farmers through farmer-led irrigation initiatives.

So far, 50 community irrigation schemes covering about 60,000 acres have been completed, while another 86 projects are under implementation.

The State department said the schemes are helping smallholder farmers increase productivity, diversify crops and improve household incomes while creating employment opportunities for youth and women.

Other achievements highlighted include the completion of 143 community water pans and small dams, with 65 more projects ongoing. Additionally, 8,724 household water pans have been completed while 160 are under construction.

The Micro-Irrigation for Schools Programme has also registered progress, with 66 projects completed and another 31 underway, supporting food production and agricultural learning in schools.

Other flagship projects being rolled out include the Smallholder Irrigation Programme for the Mt. Kenya Region, expanded community irrigation schemes, and irrigation-supported fodder production initiatives aimed at strengthening livestock value chains and feedlot development.