Food for the future: helping farmers in Kenya adapt to the climate crisis | Keny…

The harsh midday sun beats down on the withering pawpaw plants in Maureen Adhiambo’s patch of land.

The villagers in Kamenya have not seen rain for months, and when it does come, the soil is too dry and loose to retain any of the moisture or nutrients. Last year Adhiambo saw her maize dry up long before it could mature. Like many farmers in the Homa Bay region, on the south bank of Kenya’s Lake Victoria, she is staring at yet another cycle of crop failure.

“Farming has been frustrating for us,” says Adhiambo, in the shade of a thirsty-looking banana plant. “Look at my neighbours’ farms. They too will harvest very little, if any. Changing weather patterns and poor soils have made it difficult to make a decent living out of farming.”

To support her family, the mother of three had moved to the neighbouring county of Migori in 2016 for a job selling life insurance. But that did not fare well and she went home a year later to take another shot at farming.

She planted beans, onions and other vegetables in the hope that the rains due from March to May would arrive on time, but they did not. She tried again in October but the short rainy season failed too. She also lost her 13,000 Kenyan shillings (£84) investment. Frustrated, she decided to try her hand at poultry keeping.

About 10km from Adhiambo’s home, in Seka village, 35-year-old Dominic Owuor tends a healthy crop of kale while on a nearby piece of land, tomato plants are thriving. His seven acres, leased from his neighbours, contrast sharply with Adhiambo’s. Here, the soils have a heavier water and nutrient retention ratio, thanks to water that Owuor pumps from Lake Victoria. However, he hasn’t had an easy time switching from paid employment to farming either.

After graduating, Owuor took up teaching but he left in 2013 to work in the financial sector before going into full-time farming in 2018.

“I tried my hand at farming while still employed, hoping to contribute to food security and provide employment to young people. But I knew little about agribusiness and the kind of plants that can withstand deteriorating weather patterns. I also employed casual labourers who weren’t well versed in farming either. Out of my initial investment of 100,000 Kenyan shillings, I barely managed half of that in returns,” he says.

Farming around Lake Victoria is a hit and miss affair. They have seen the impact of a changing climate as the lake’s water level has risen and swallowed hundreds of acres of land. For those on higher ground, prolonged droughts have killed off young crops. The erratic climate and poor knowledge of viable agricultural practices have devastated food security and economic prospects for people who relied on fishing.

According to the World Bank Group climate change action plan 2016-2020, the world will need to produce 50% more food by 2050 but estimates that with current practices, there will be a 40% water shortfall between demand and available supply.