Several farms have been inundated by floodwaters after weeks of relentless rain across Kenya, with heavy rainfall overnight causing water levels to rise to shoulder height.
The rains that began in mid-March posed an immediate danger and left a lingering threat: Nearly 300 people have died, dam levels have reached record highs, and the government has ordered residents to evacuate areas at risk of flooding, even threatening to bulldoze the homes of those who refuse.
The Kenyan government has described recent events as “clear signs of extreme weather caused by climate change”, shaking the couple’s financial security and optimism.
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As reported by the Associated Press, farmers Martha Waema and her husband inspected their flooded farm. They had invested 80,000 shillings ($613) in corn, peas, cabbage, tomatoes and kale, hoping to make 200,000 shillings ($1,500) from their three-acre plot. But their hopes were dashed and destroyed.
“I’ve been a farmer for 38 years and I’ve never seen a loss on this scale,” said the 62-year-old mother of 10 children.
Food Security and Other Issues
A looming food security crisis and high prices are challenging President Kenyatta’s efforts to promote agriculture as a key driver of the economy. Floods have destroyed crops on more than 168,000 acres (67,987 hectares), less than 1 percent of Kenya’s farmland. As farmers count still-unknown losses, opposition politicians have criticized the government for its lack of preparedness for climate change and related disasters, and stressed the need for sustainable land management and improved weather forecasting.
Waema is now digging trenches to protect what’s left of his farm in Machakos county, outside Nairobi. But not all farmers are struggling. In Olokirikirai, about 200 kilometers west of Waema’s farm, James Tobiko Tipis, 65, is protecting his 16-acre farm from flooding by building terraces to prevent landslides. “We used to lose all the topsoil and the crops we had,” he says.
Experts expect future climatic shocks to worsen the situation and stress the importance of preventing soil erosion. Jane Kirui, Narok County Agriculture Officer, highlights the benefits of terracing and cover crops to absorb water. Despite abundant rainfall, efforts to conserve water resources in rural Kenya remain inadequate.
Professor John Gasenya of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology recommends diversifying crops and strengthening the soil’s natural water-holding capacity. “Soil remains our biggest source of water,” he said, arguing for soil conservation over large-scale infrastructure projects such as dams. Soil conservation includes practices such as curbing deforestation, which is increasing severe runoff. “We’re opening up land in new, fragile environments that require more care than ever before in how we farm,” Gasenya said. “In our quest for more food, we’re moving into more fragile areas, but we don’t have the same intensity of soil conservation as we did 50 years ago.”
