Efficient Water Use For Maximum Productivity And Profitability
The county departments of Water, Agriculture, and Trade have been working together for the benefit of Laikipians. On Friday, 4th March, a team drawn from the three led a group of farmers from the Wangwaci Dam area on a tour of four farms in the county with the objective of exposing them to efficient and improved farming methods to improve quality of their produce for productivity.
The farmers visited four sites which included AAA Growers, Mr. Githinji's Farm in Ol Jabet, Mr. Kihoro's Farm in Gatundia and Mr. Theuri's Farm in Munyu. The visiting farmers appreciated the application of various agricultural best practices including drip irrigation on the open fields, conservation farming, land reclamation, as well as value addition, high-value crop farming, and enterprise development. The farms visited grow a variety of high-value crops including Lettuce, parsley, carrots, strawberry, baby corn, pepper, avocado, and French beans.
The farmers were happy for the learning experience and expressed positivity towards the adoption of drip irrigation. They were also open to the production of different high-value crops.
The Wangwaci Dam Project is one of the Infrastructure Bond projects to be implemented in this financial year. The the project, which aims to deliver on Pillar 3 and 4 of H.E. Governor Ndiritu Muriithi's manifesto, will provide water to 630 farmers at farm gate through a pumped irrigation system.
Currently, farmers pump directly from the dam, some as far as 2km away, and are forced to invest in expensive diesel pumps and pipelines, which leads to loss of time and money and reduces their profit margins. The improved system will deliver water to farmgate using a centralized, solar-powered system. In addition, the project will support the farmers with extension services and improved marketing for their produce.
The scope of work to be implemented through the infrastructure bond included desilting and rehabilitation of the dam to increase storage to 312,000m3, installation of a solar-powered pumping system, reticulation network, on-farm storage, and drip irrigation kits.
