The Kenya Kwanza government through the State Department of Irrigation is scaling up investment in irrigation projects to increase capacity for the Kenyan farmers.
With a deliberate effort to diversify from rain-fed irrigation, the government has highlighted the need to increase the area under irrigation by 60,000 acres in the year 2024.
Speaking at the recent commissioning of the Rwabura Irrigation Project, the President remarked that his government is targeting to decrease the amount spent on food imports, hoping to direct the money into the pockets of the Kenyan farmers.
“Every year, we spend KSh500 billion to import food produced by farmers from other countries. We want this money to go to our own farmers,” the President said.
The State Department of Irrigation has therefore allocated about 60 Billion Shillings to various irrigation projects such as Rwabura, Maragua Water Supply and Irrigation Projects, and Changachicha projects, which the President recently commissioned.
The irrigation projects will help the country reduce the importation of food that can be produced locally.
These projects are aimed at creating over 20,000 job opportunities each, while directly benefiting thousands of households and farmers.
The Irrigation projects undertaken by the State Department for Irrigation and through the National Irrigation Authority will help the country increase the area under irrigation and cultivation and stop reliance on rain-fed agriculture.