Watering More Acres: Kenya Expands Irrigation Schemes for Food Security
Kenya's agricultural sector is set to receive a significant boost with the expansion of existing irrigation schemes. The government is investing in the upgrade and enlargement of key irrigation projects to increase water coverage, improve crop yields, and enhance food security
Why It Matters
Expanding existing irrigation schemes in Kenya is one of the most high-impact interventions the country can make to achieve food security, reduce poverty, improve climate resilience, and drive economic growth.
Progress
71%
Benefits
Kenya is heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture:
Rainfall is increasingly unreliable due to climate change: longer droughts, erratic onset/cessation of rains, and flash floods.
Poverty reduction and job creation:
Irrigation schemes have very high economic returns: Benefit–Cost Ratios often 3–8:1 (World Bank & government studies).
Foreign exchange savings and earnings:
Kenya currently imports 1 million tonnes of maize, wheat, and rice in bad years, costing hundreds of millions of dollars. Expanded domestic irrigated production directly reduces this import bill. At the same time, high-value irrigated horticulture (vegetables, flowers, fruits) is already Kenya’s second-largest foreign exchange earner after tourism.
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