Background
The National Irrigation Authority (NIA) is implementing the National Expanded Irrigation Program, which was initiated in 2011 and aligns with its Strategic Objective 3.1 of the Strategic Plan 2023 – 2027 which targets increasing the area under irrigation from 711,993 acres in FY 2022/23 to 1,289,142 acres by 2027/28. The program aims to provide irrigation infrastructure for 384,000 acres by 2030.
Through this Government of Kenya funded the program, 228,731 acres have already been put under irrigation across 44 counties. This includes 147,131 acres under smallholder/community irrigation projects and 80,600 acres from the rehabilitation and expansion of gazetted schemes.
To date, the program has achieved 59.5% of its target for irrigated land. This acreage is distributed across 159 completed community-based irrigation projects. Additionally, there are 88 ongoing projects, which are expected to bring an additional 67,225 acres under irrigation upon completion. Furthermore, the program has facilitated storage of over 88.3 million cubic meters of water, predominantly in arid and semi-arid regions, for small-scale irrigation and other related uses.
The projects have been a significant source of food and income for the beneficiaries, who primarily grow horticultural crops, cereals, pulses, fruits among others. Approximately 80% of the beneficiaries, report improved lifestyles thanks to the income generated from these projects. Most farmers cultivate three seasons annually, depending on the crops grown. The annual gross income generated is estimated at Ksh. 30.9 billion, directly benefiting 155,680 farming households. Additionally, the projects have created approximately 475,000 direct jobs and 950,000 indirect jobs.
Project Status
The programme involves provision of irrigation infrastructure for abstraction, conveyance, distribution and application of irrigation water for the various irrigation projects. For sustainability and reliability of irrigation water, the Authority has also embarked on providing water storage for irrigation, provision of water storage reservoirs and installation of greenhouses.
The Achievements of this programme can be summarized as follows:
- Construction of about 209 irrigation projects across all the 47 Counties
- Rehabilitation, expansion and modernization of public irrigation schemes that has seen the irrigation area increase from 23,326.5 acres to 35,326 acres.
- Installation of 714 greenhouses complete with drip kits in various parts of the country to act as pilot model projects on efficient irrigation practice benefitting 11,200 women and youth.
- Completed feasibility studies and detailed designs for 30 projects covering 430,000 acres.