Food Security and Livelihoods
Climate change has disrupted the performance of agriculture in Makueni County with farmers recording poor crop performance and, in some cases, total crop failure. This situation is worsened by knowledge gaps on coping with climate change, climate smart agriculture and carbon credit opportunities. Water scarcity, caused by sporadic rains plus the high salinity of ground water has posed a risk to soil fertility when used for irrigation.
Rose Kitili, a farmer from Mithumoni village in Nguu Masumba ward, Makueni County, has faced numerous challenges in farming. The mother of six, who has been dedicated to farming for many years as her primary source of income, attributes her poor agricultural produce to drought and lack of adequate farming knowledge.
“Lack of water has been a major challenge for us. For our crops to do well, we need enough water, and that has not been easy. As you may know, we always have a water problem due to drought. We also had a problem with the seeds because we did not know which ones to plant,” narrates Rose.
Being dependent on farming, Rose also faced financial challenges, forcing her children to be sent home due to lack of school fees.
“My children were sent home for school fees and that has been hard for me because where do I get the money? I had to take on menial jobs to help cover the expenses because my children have to go to school,” Rose laments.
Through the Mithumoni water project, Rose was among the 50 families capacity built to increase income by practicing climate smart agriculture. She was facilitated with drought tolerant certified seed; Maize (DK8031) and green grams (KS20) and trained on good agricultural practices.
“I was very happy when I received the seeds to plant during that rainy season, but even more, I was very grateful for the lessons we were given to ensure a bountiful harvest. I was taught how to space my planting holes and how to plant in furrows with the correct measurements for applying fertilizer. I was also privileged to go a demonstration farm in Kathonzweni where I learned what other farmers are practicing for better yields,” says Rose
During the harvest period and after putting into practice the good agronomic practices, Rose was able to harvest seven sacks of maize (90 kg each) and 50 kg of green grams. She used the harvest to provide food for her family and managed to take some of the produce to school to cover her children’s school fees.
“I was so happy when I got this harvest, it reminded me how important it is to put into practice what we are taught. From what I harvested, I was able to get food for my family and, most importantly, take some of the produce to school to pay my children’s fees. They are happily in school now,” says Rose excitedly.
Good climate smart agricultural practices can play a key role in eradicating poverty and improving food security for many families amid the challenges of climate change.
