I Ssues of Irrigation of Horticultural Crops by Smallholder Farmers in Kenya

Abstract

Although smallholder farmers have practised irrigation in Kenya, the introduction small-scale irrigation for horticultural production is relatively a recent development. The increase in irrigation practice has been promoted by the rapid increase in the growth of the horticultural industry. This research examined factors influencing irrigation of horticultural crops on smallholdings in Kenya. The key informants were smallholder irrigation farmers (including low-cost drip), representatives of the irrigation industry, Non Governmental Organisations and the government. The informants were interviewed in a survey of semi-structured open-ended questionnaires.

The main problems reported were inadequate technical support service, unreliable water supply, and poor marketing of produce. The government policy on promotion of low cost technology was apparently not clear to the extension staff. Manufactures considered the sector especially the low-cost drip irrigation too small to promote actively. Some of these factors are likely to present a major challenge to developers in the promotion of smallholder irrigation technology in parts of the country.