Islamic Relief Kenya presented lessons learned from irrigation projects in Mandera, Kenya. The projects aimed to improve food security for vulnerable agro-pastoral communities through irrigation farming. Three key projects were discussed: a pilot project funded by IRK, and two subsequent projects funded by Qatar Charity and ECHO. The presentation provided details on project locations, beneficiaries, activities, achievements, challenges and lessons learned. It was noted that irrigation has potential to increase incomes and food security if best practices are followed around issues like water management, diversified cropping, and market access.

1. Islamic Relief Kenya
Irrigation Projects in Mandera
Lessons learned
Presented by: Yesuf Abdella Mohammed
IRK, Head of Mission
Friday, October 31, 2008
y, ,
Nairobi, Kenya

2. Content
1. Overview of IR operation area
2. IR’s Programmes in Mandera
3. Irrigation in Mandera Baseline Info
Mandera-
4. Overall objective of irrigation projects & their location
Current staffing & office structure
5. The Process
6. Detailed information, progress/achievement per
project
7. Simple cost benefit analysis (CBA)
8. Challenges encountered & corrective measures
9. Lessons learned, recommendation & future direction
10.
10 Key messages

3. 1. Overview of IR Operational
area M d
Mandera
• Pop= 311,777;
• Drought recurrence
followed by flood
become very
frequent
• 70 % pop. relief
dependent
• 4 clans (3main)
• IR O
Operates in 7 out
t i t
of 18 Divisions
(106,000 benef.)
• Other INGOs; AAH
AAH,
SC/UK, VSF
• Pastoralism & the
mainstayy

4. IRK operation area Mandera district

5. Mandera T i
M d Triangle
l
Mandera-
Kenya

6. Characterized by Recurrence of
drought & floods

7. 2. IR’s Programmes in Mandera
1. Nutrition
2.
2 WATSAN
3. Livelihood
a. I i t d Agriculture
Irrigated A i lt
b. Micro-Credit
4. Orphans
5. Education

8. 3.
3 IRRIGATION IN MANDERA
Baseline info of irrigation
• Daua River bounds Kenya & Eth along Mandera district for 150Km
• Flows 9 months/yr in normal years
• Annual rainfall 250mm distributed into 2 rainy seasons (
y (Long: April-
g p
June and Short: October- November)
• 3 cropping seasons possible per year by irrigation due to short growing
period (Temperature Avg. 32 but can go a high as 39; hence high
photosynthesis and h
h t th i d hence ET)
• Land owned by county council but by town council in central division
• Soils: Reddish varying texture; fine sandy loamy or clay & v. calcareous
(salinity along Daua R)
• Flat topography and subject for flooding in low lying areas
• Intl river posing problem of not putting permanent diversion dam
• Traditional irrigation practice using low head pumps
• Potentially irrigable area 10,500ha (Irrigation Dept)

9. Daua R. flows 9 months/yr

10. Transportation on Daua R. when full

11. 4.
4 Overall objective of irrigation
projects & their location
Improve food security of vulnerable
agro pastoral
agro-pastoral dropouts through
enhanced livelihood activities to
enable them lead a self reliant life
while contributing to sustained
economy of th t
f the target locations and
tl ti d
the broader Mandera District

12. Project sites/locations
ECHO funded
ongoing
Qatar Ch i
Q Charity
funded -
ongoing
1stt pilot IR
il
funded
completed

13. 5. The
5 Th process
1.
1 COMMUNITY CONSULTATION, TARGETTING
CONSULTATION TARGETTING,
PLANNING & MEETING

14. The process cont…
• MOU signed with the MoWI, PS
• Community, local admin and MoA together with IR staffs identified
agreed upon project area/site & 60 beneficiaries
• Beneficiaries organized in 6 Irr groups ea 10 members
Irr.
• Beneficiaries selected 20 early adopters/group leaders for exchange
visit to similar areas with success story
• Exchange visit organized by the MoWI funding and facilitation
• Participants of exchange visit shared lessons to all other members
• Beneficiaries discussed on the planned actives and clear roles and
responsibilities crafted- direct support of IR’s inputs (apart from
technical) ending after one cropping season
• MOU signed between irr groups and IR
• Survey and design of canal, pump site etc concluded by IR/community
• Beneficiaries mobilized for action

15. Mobilization & capacity building at Sala

16. Bush clearing by community

17. Bush clearing by community
cont…

18. Land Preparation cont…
p
Tractor Ploughing land for irrigation

19. Handover of inputs
IRK staff interprets the pump Girrisa central farmers
characteristics to farmers posing for a photo after
and Rhamu during handing
nd Rh m d ing h nding receiving seeds from IRK
e ei ing eed f om
over

20. O&M Training at Rhamu

21. Testing of pump after training

22. Communities constructing
canal

23. Preparation of basins & furrows

24. Unprecedented community
participation/contribution

25. Canals at operation
C l t ti

26. Irrigation system functioning

27. Irrigation system functioning
Cont…
IRK staff inspecting maize at Stilling basin at Rhamu
Yabicho

28. Crop under h
C d harvest
t

29. Crop under h
C d harvest
t

30. Farmer picking tomatoes & cattle
feeding from crop aftermath

31. 2007 World Food Day Celebrated
at IR funded Irrigation Project

32. 6. Detailed
information
progress/achieveme
nt per p j
p project

33. ( IR funded 1st pilot project-
impl. in
i l i 2007)
Project Total Area in Benefic. Status
Location C
Cost Acre HH
Euros
Become
Hareri 44,000 60 60 (6 Irr. operational &
Group & run by
6 pump) beneficiaries
b fi i i
Total 44,000 60

34. ( Qatar Charity funded 2008 )
funded-
Project cost location Ben. HHs Status
Girrisa 45 1st harvest
Rhamu 45 1st harvest
115,000
Shantole
Sh t l 45 1st h
harvest
t
Yabicho 45 1st harvest
Total 180 (18 Irr
Group &
Cost 115,000 pumps

35. Activities/achievements of Qatar
Charity Project
Mobilized, selected , registered & formed 18
Small Irrigation groups of 10 farmers each
Assorted farm tools and equipment
distributed to 180 farmers
Supported 180 farmers to reclaim over 180
acres of land thro’ hiring a tractor for land
preparation
Canal construction and land preparation by
farmers

36. Activities/achievements of Qatar
Charity Project Cont …
18 pump set ea 8 HP capacity & 17lt/sec
capacity distributed
Trained
T i d over 72 pump operators across th
t the
18 farmers groups on Pump operation and
maintenance
Constructed over 15 Pump seats and stilling
basins
Procured and distributed over 1.5 tons of
assorted seeds

37. Activities/achievements of Qatar
Charity Project Cont …
IR has so far distributed 40L of Diesel
per farmer to 180 farmers (7200 lt)
Changed the notion of farmers from
being recipients of hand to mouth relief
food to self sufficiency
Improved in nutritional status & income
Benefited the general public through
supply of food/fodder-market exchange

38. ECHO Funded- 2008/9
Project location No. of Status
(IFSDAA) Ben./ Acre
Sala 150/150 Canal con. on
going,
going pump
mobilized, land
prepared, crops
Irrigation p
planted using RF
g
Qumbiso 120/120 ,, ,, ,,
Cost: 276,000
Euros (out of
700,000 Euros Hareri 130/130 ,, ,, ,,
ECHO funded
project)
Total;
400/400

39. Indicators of result ECHO
funded project:
• 400 vulnerable farmers supported to engage in irrigated
farming to become food secure within one farming season
(2 Irr seasons).
• 400 acres of land put under food crops and fodder
cultivation
• 324 MT of foods and 400 MT of fodder harvested per irr.
season
Activities related to the result
• Community mobilisation and beneficiary selection
• Survey, design & construction of canals & pump seats
• Land preparation
• Installation of irrigation pump sets
• Supply of fuel and engine oil for pump sets
• Training of farmers in extension & pump set operation
• Supply of certified seeds & limited pesticides

40. ECHO project progress to date
• 40 irrigation groups formed
• 400 Acre reclaimed through bush clearing
• 160 Acres planted using the recent rains,
• Hand tools distributed to all 400
• Pumps seat and canal design on progress
P t d ld i
• Procurement of 30 pump sets at its final stage &
installation to start this week
• 4000 lt of fuel distributed
• 40 Farmers Field School (FFS) formed

41. 7. CBA in Euros for HH at
2MT/Acre/season
(
(2-3 production seasons/yr possible)
p y p )
Productio Cost/yr Gross GM/Acre
n in Mt income
•Maize 184 192 288
2MT/Acre/ +
season 280
•Fodder/ crop
472
aftermath
Vegetables
V t bl 333 900 567

42. 8.
8 Challenges encountered &
corrective measures undertaken
Soil Salinity- Irr Water Mgt, select non saline affected
area
Floods- select areas less prone to flooding for
p g
irrigation and locate pumps in safe/protected site
Insect and pest- IPM
Loose of water through seepage canal lining & water
seepage-
mgt training
Low level of education, hence poor adoption rates to
modern technology. gy
Culture/land tenure; practice unfavorable to women
beneficiaries- sensitization and awareness raising
Poor market infrastructures
Conflict and insecurity in Mandera and Somalia

43. Major farm level
challenges
– S li it
Salinity
– Insect & Pest
– Loose of water
through
seepage

44. 8. Lessons learned,
recommendation & future
direction
• Animal traction through (DAT) to
complement land preparation by tractor
• Diversification of crops through mixed or
intercropping to increase output p unit
pp g p per
area.
• Growing high value crops such as Oil
crops sunflower, cotton, simsim, f it &
fl tt i i fruit
vegetable

45. Lessons learned,
recommendation & future
direction cont…
• Promote production of fodder, encourage
seed bulking and fodder banking
• Addition of value to crops through
processing incases of oil or fruit crops.
• Utili ti of crop b
Utilization f by-products as f dd
d t fodder
(cotton, simsim & sunflower cake and
maize stalks)
• Use of farmyard manure to enrich soil
fertility hence promoting sustainable
organic farming

46. Recommendations
• Permanent lining on the canals & stilling b i to reduce water
P li i h l illi basins d
loss through surface seepage & erosion control
• DAT (Draught Animal Technology) be re-introduced in the
region
• Promote seed bulking and fodder banking for both exotic and
indigenous crops (S d grass, P l millet, G
i di (Sudan Pearl ill t Green l f
leaf
desmodium, Green gram ,pigeon peas, cow peas)
• More funds be geared towards improvement in market
information, links and opportunities for the farm produce.
• Soil fertility, salinity and water management strategies be
strengthened.
t th d

47. Future Directions
• Training farmers on Good Agronomic practices
• Formation of farmers co-operatives for
effective/efficient input output market
ff i / ffi i i k
• Setting up more Farmers Field Schools or Common
interest groups that will act as centers of extension
education/dissemination of modern farming
techniques
• Training of trainees and community Ag. extension
g y g
workers to improve farmers production skill and
knowledge
• Close monitoring of early warning info for
g y g
contingency plan incase of failure rains in Ethiopian
highlands
• Replication of same efforts in collaboration with
p
ALRMP & COCOOP making use of EMOP FFW

48. 9. Key messages
• Good intentions of saving lives through food aid (but if
improperly managed/targeted) can kill livelihood; hence
dependency syndromes
• W should push f such l
We h ld h for h long term interventions t cut
t i t ti to t
the adverse impacts of recurrent droughts from happening
as vulnerables who already run out of asset can easily
fallback
• In doing so we can also ensure channeling aid with all the
dignity and self-reliance
• Given the current hicks of food price and its
p
unavailability in the market good to think of producing
crops within 3 months
• Irrigation is only one of the number of alt livelihood
options for ASAL areas hence not a panacea Need to
areas- panacea.
explore other options while tapping irrigation opportunity.

49. THANK YOU
ASANTE SANA