Farmers in Nakuru County, Kenya, are exploring improved irrigation management practices to boost agricultural production, strengthen household incomes, and make irrigation schemes more sustainable. A recent peer-to-peer exchange visit was organized for farmers from Lari Wendani Irrigation Scheme in Subukia and Kabugi Irrigation Scheme in Gilgil to Mitoini Phases 1 and 2 and Kibirigwi Irrigation Schemes in Kirinyaga County. This visit exposed the farmers to practical approaches used by established irrigation schemes to manage water, operate infrastructure, and maintain facilities for reliable agricultural production.
Nakuru County Agriculture Chief Officer Engineer Margaret Kinyanjui emphasized that effective irrigation requires proper management, collective responsibility, and efficient use of available resources. The exchange visit aimed to help farmers develop the capacity needed to manage irrigation infrastructure and maximize its contribution to food production and livelihoods. Engineer Kinyanjui noted that peer-to-peer learning allows farmers to see what other farmers are doing, learn from their experiences, and identify practices that can be adapted to their own irrigation schemes.
The initiative is being implemented under the Farmer-Led Irrigation Development (FLID) approach through the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP). FLID shifts greater responsibility for irrigation development and management to farmers, either individually or through organized groups. This approach allows farmers to invest, operate, and manage irrigation systems while accessing technical support, finance, technologies, and markets.
The World Bank identifies financing, knowledge, and market access as major constraints limiting smallholder irrigation development in Kenya. Farmer-led irrigation can improve productivity and incomes while strengthening resilience to climate shocks and market volatility. NAVCDP has incorporated irrigation into wider climate-smart value-chain investments, supporting water harvesting, efficient irrigation technologies, affordable financing, and improved water management.
The project targets 20,000 hectares of new or improved irrigation services by the end of its implementation period. It also seeks to improve farmers' capacity to manage water resources sustainably and increase the reliability of agricultural production. This is particularly important as Kenya seeks to reduce the vulnerability of agriculture to unreliable rainfall. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, agriculture gross value added increased by 2.8 percent in 2025 to Sh1.75 trillion.
However, the sector recorded slower real growth amid adverse weather conditions. Irrigation remains central to Kenya's strategy for increasing agricultural productivity while reducing dependence on rainfall. The National Irrigation Sector Investment Plan records about 711,933 acres equipped for irrigation in 2023, representing about 21 percent of the country's estimated irrigation potential. The plan targets 1.5 million acres of developed irrigation by 2030.
The State Department for Irrigation says Kenya currently has more than 3,000 irrigation schemes. For Nakuru farmers, improved irrigation management could support more predictable production, allow greater use of high-value crops, and strengthen links between farm production and markets. The county's irrigation schemes represent more than water infrastructure, and their long-term contribution to food security and rural incomes will depend on effective management, farmer participation, and continued investment in water-efficient agricultural production.
Key points
- The initiative aims to improve farmers' capacity to manage water resources sustainably and increase the reliability of agricultural production.
- The project targets 20,000 hectares of new or improved irrigation services by the end of its implementation period.
- Irrigation remains central to Kenya's strategy for increasing agricultural productivity while reducing dependence on rainfall.
