Irrigation, Kenya’s Food Future: From Rain-Fed Struggles to Climate-Smart Agriculture

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Key Highlights

Kenya is pivoting from rain-fed subsistence farming to irrigation-driven, large-scale agriculture as climate shocks intensify and food imports surge. At the heart of this shift is the Galana-Kulalu Food Security Project, backed by government policy, private capital, and technology. Drawing lessons from countries that have successfully irrigated their arid lands, Kenya is positioning irrigation, mechanisation, and agribusiness investment as the foundation of long-term food security, economic growth, and climate resilience.

For decades, Kenya’s agriculture sector has been built on rain-fed farming, a system that worked when weather patterns were predictable and population pressure was lower. Smallholder farmers relied on seasonal rains to grow maize, beans, and other staples, forming the backbone of rural livelihoods and national food supply. But as climate change tightened its grip, recurrent droughts began to expose the fragility of this model. Crop failures became more frequent, pastoral livelihoods collapsed during dry spells, and Kenya steadily slid into heavy dependence on food imports.

Today, the country imports about 92 per cent of its wheat, over 80 per cent of its rice, and significant quantities of sugar. Each drought not only worsens hunger but also widens the trade deficit, drains foreign exchange, and raises the cost of living. It is against this backdrop that the government has drawn a hard line: rain-fed farming alone can no longer sustain Kenya’s food needs.

That message was reinforced this week by the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Sen. Mutahi Kagwe, who made a strong case for irrigation-led, large-scale farming as the only viable path to food security under increasingly unpredictable climate conditions.

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At the centre of Kenya’s new agricultural strategy is the 1.8-million-acre Galana-Kulalu Food Security Project, located in the coastal hinterland and designated strictly for large-scale, mechanised, and irrigated farming.

“Galana-Kulalu is strictly for large-scale farming. Subdivision makes mechanisation impossible and defeats the purpose of this project,” Kagwe said, underscoring the government’s determination to avoid the fragmentation that has undermined productivity elsewhere.

Under the Land Commercialization Initiative (LCI), the government is opening Galana-Kulalu to serious local and international investors through transparent and competitive processes. The aim is to attract capital, technology, and expertise capable of delivering high yields per acre, stabilising food supply, and reducing Kenya’s ballooning food import bill.

This push mirrors what countries such as Israel, Egypt, Morocco, and parts of India have already achieved. Israel turned arid land into productive farmland through drip irrigation and water recycling. Egypt relies on large-scale irrigation from the Nile to feed over 100 million people. Morocco’s Green Morocco Plan combined irrigation, agribusiness investment, and farmer aggregation to transform agriculture into a growth sector. In all these cases, scale, water control, and technology—not rainfall—became the drivers of food security.

Kenya is now signalling that it intends to follow a similar path.

The government’s strategy is being reinforced by private-sector investments that demonstrate what is possible in Kenya’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), which make up more than 80 per cent of the country.

During a recent tour, CS Kagwe commissioned an 800-acre earth dam at the Nyumba Group, capable of holding six billion litres of water for year-round irrigation. The investment is part of a wider programme led by the Nyumba Foundation under Kirtan Hasmukh Kanji, which has invested more than KSh 6.4 billion to develop over 300,000 acres already producing crops at scale.

Kagwe described the Nyumba model as a benchmark for mechanised, technology-driven farming in ASAL regions, showing that with water infrastructure, long-term capital, and modern farming systems, drylands can become engines of food production.

He also visited Selu, a leading seed maize producer, highlighting the critical role of high-quality seeds in boosting productivity and resilience. Without reliable seed systems, even the best irrigation infrastructure cannot deliver optimal results.

Beyond food security, large-scale irrigation carries a strong business and industrial upside. Kagwe pointed out that Galana-Kulalu and similar projects are expected to generate powerful backward and forward linkages across the economy.

On the input side, demand will rise for locally manufactured fertilisers, certified seeds, irrigation pipes, pumps, and digital farming solutions. The CS urged manufacturers, particularly in pipe-making and allied industries, to scale up capacity, noting that Kenyan-made irrigation pipes are already competitive in quality and price.

On the output side, large-scale farming creates volumes that can sustain agro-processing, cold storage, logistics, and export markets. This shifts agriculture from a subsistence activity into a value-chain business that creates jobs, attracts investment, and grows GDP.

For communities around Galana-Kulalu, the project is being framed not as land exclusion but as an economic opportunity. Kagwe encouraged local residents to invest in housing, retail, transport, and services to support a growing agricultural workforce. He praised investors who have integrated schools, health facilities, and corporate social responsibility into their operations, stressing that community inclusion is essential for the long-term success of large-scale agriculture.

Despite these gains, Kenya is still far from food self-sufficiency. Irrigation covers only a small fraction of the country’s arable land, mechanisation levels remain low, and access to affordable energy and water infrastructure is uneven. Fragmented land tenure, high input costs, and policy uncertainty have historically discouraged long-term investment.

Climate change is also accelerating faster than adaptation. Drought cycles are shortening, and rainfall variability is increasing, raising the cost of inaction.

To secure its food future over the coming months and years, Kenya must decisively stay the course on irrigation-led, large-scale farming.

First, irrigation infrastructure must be expanded rapidly, including dams, canals, water harvesting, and efficient delivery systems, while lowering the cost of electricity and water for farmers.

Second, land use policy must protect strategic irrigation schemes like Galana-Kulalu from subdivision, ensuring economies of scale and mechanisation remain viable.

Third, the government must continue crowding in private capital through transparent land allocation, stable policies, and risk-sharing mechanisms that make long-term agricultural investment bankable.

Fourth, strong seed systems, research, and digital agriculture must be scaled up to ensure productivity per acre rises, not just acreage under cultivation.

Finally, communities must be integrated as economic partners, not spectators, through jobs, services, and local enterprise development.

Kenya stands at a crossroads. One path continues dependence on rain-fed farming, food imports, and crisis response. The other embraces irrigation, scale, technology, and agribusiness as pillars of national resilience.

As CS Mutahi Kagwe’s message makes clear, the choice is no longer theoretical. Large-scale irrigation is not just an agricultural policy—it is a strategic investment in Kenya’s food security, economic stability, and climate-resilient future.

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