Between 9-10 October, Irene Moed Programme Officer for Alterra in the Netherlands, Alex Oduor Programme Officer for East and Southern Africa (ESAf) office, and I travelled to Makueni County to document the impact which the implementation of the Enhancing Food and Water Security for Rural Economic Development - a five-year regional programme in the Sahel and Horn of Africa will have on smallholder farmers in rural communities.

The Programme is funded by the General Directorate of International Cooperation (DGIS) from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The World Agroforestry Centre is coordinating the programme and is collaborating with several national and regional partners to facilitate its implementation in Kenya, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Ethiopia.

We spoke to several farmers in the field who were practising climate smart water management to understand how they did it. These farmers had applied effective rainwater harvesting techniques, which has secured their water security and improved food production. We met two champion farmers who are applying different integrated rainwater harvesting techniques.

In Wote Town, Patrick Musau the Project Officer at the Utooni Development Organization – one of the local partner organizations gave us a tour of the area. Patrick provides technical support in building sand dams in three different counties. The sand dams have increased water supply for the farmers in the county, which in turn has improved water and food security. Similar activities will be implemented under the new Programme.

Mrs. Domitila, a successful poultry farmer, has been using harvested rainwater to raise poultry. “We had a problem of harvesting, because of very unreliable rain. Also domestic water was a very big problem, so rainwater harvesting was helping so much”, Mrs. Domitila said. In the past, her run-off pond system was fully operational and able to collect enough rain to sustain her poultry business. However, after a cut in her pond liner – a plastic sheet used to cover the pond to prevent seepage into the ground – Domitila was forced to sell and reduce the population of her chicken. Following the reduction in water supply, she now considers replacing the pond liner as her top priority.

Mr. William, a former teacher and now a practising farmer, uses rainwater harvesting techniques on his farm. These include Zai pits and rainwater harvesting ponds combined with efficient water application such as drip-irrigation systems. “We are using the water for watering the mangoes, tree nursery and we also have a tomato farm down there”, Mr. William stated.

His farm inspires members of his community to harvest rainwater on their farms. Many people in his community have dug their own ponds but lack funds to buy pond liners which are needed for efficient preservation of run-off water.

The five year programme will help scale up rainwater harvesting practices. Currently, the Programme is in its inception phase, during which various biophysical measurements and cost-implication studies are carried out to identify the most suitable areas for the project implementation.

The areas in Kenya that will benefit from the Programme have been identified based on agreed upon criteria mainly on rainfall ranges of 400-800mm.

The investment which farmers need to make on their farm depends on the size of their farm and the technology they would like to implement. One Zai Pit has an average volume of 0.22m3 and takes about 15 minutes to dig. Besides the labor costs which the implementation of Zai Pits involves, no further investments are needed. The rainwater harvesting pond, however, is approximately 500m3 and would needs an investment of kshs. 60,000 for one pond liner (approx. $668).

A pond liner is needed to minimize seepage of water into the soil. The contribution in kind for digging a pond is quite high. However, in many communities, such as the community of Mr. William, rotation of labor is frequently done through community groups managing the farm. A filled pond of 500m3 can irrigate approximately one acre of land.

By working with farmers who are applying certain techniques on their farms and have done preparatory work for implementing these techniques, quick wins for more water and food security can be made. This has clearly been demonstrated in Masongaleni Village of Makueni County. Our visit to the champion farmers in Makueni showed that many farmers are heading in the right direction. What they require is extra support to ensure that they scale up rainwater harvesting techniques. By scaling up rainwater harvesting, farmers could become water and food secure.

In order to track the progress and measure the impact of the programme, it is essential to document how the lives of farmers and communities are changing. The documentation of stories is a way of monitoring and evaluating the progress of the programme and may lead to more funding of similar initiatives. By sharing impact stories amongst the Programme countries and even to other countries in Africa, important resources are created that enable learning from one another.