Furrows in the Desert
An agricultural development program
in Turkana, Kenya
Turkana is a semi arid region in northwestern Kenya, on the
border with Ethiopia, South Sudan and Uganda.
It is the largest yet least
developed district
in the country.
Area of Turkana: 77,000 km2
Population: Estimation of 850,000
Temperature: 20-400 c
Precipitation: 100-400 mm/year
Evaporation: 7-12 mm/day
Population in Turkana
The inhabitants of Turkana are largely
pastoralists practicing a nomadic
lifestyle.
Traditionally the Turkana way of life
Evolves around their livestock for
nutritional and cultural needs.
Occasionally they would gather wild fruits, hunt wild animals and gather
honey.
Often they would trade with neighboring tribes for maize, beans and very
limited verity of vegetables and grains.
The main problems facing agricultural development in Turkana:
• Harsh environmental conditions.
• The lack of know-how in developing agriculture in arid land.
• Difficulty to bring expert agronomists and skilled manpower to the area on
a long term basis.
• The deep cultural gap between the herders way of life and farming way of
life
• The lack of transportation infrastructure and markets
Program Goals:
To introduce agriculture in Turkana North, as a means for:
• Food production towards food security in the area.
• Income generating activities for the local population through the marketing
of agricultural production
Model Innovation: A comprehensive, long term sustainable approach
Long term commitment of partner org.
permanent presence of MCSPA
Developing agricultural methods
appropriate for the area.
Establishing a central farm for
training research & demonstration
Model Innovation:
Comprehensive
Sustainability measures
On a long term basis
6 months hand on training
Training the trainers
lessons in mother & child centres
family scale & community scale
Support for marketing
agricultural produce
Provision of agricultural
Inputs for graduates
Ongoing guidance in new
farmers’ family plots
Program Water Infrastructure
MCSPA water infrastructure In Turkana North:
• rock water dams (107 units)
• earth pans (89 units)
• boreholes (over 165 units)
• wind pumps (28 units).
Planning Strategy:
Following UN recommendations, we first harvest rain water by rockdams in the mountain side,
or earth dams and pans. This is especially geared towards meeting
the needs of the pastoralists’ herds. The dams are designed according to the geo-physical
conditions.
Further downstream we drill Wells fitted with handpumps, windumps or solar systems to meet
the domestic needs of the population and to start agricultural developments.
Water infrastructure: Hand pumps, wind pumps, tanks
Water infrastructure: Dams
Community participation and management
The builders of rock dams are local people who have been trained in the art.
In each location with a water facility, water committees are trained and enabled
to run the facilities.
Agricultural Models for arid conditions:
4 types based on available water sources
Boreholes based family plots
Earth Pan plots
Liman (runoff water diverted to canals)
Lake Plantations
Family Plots
Family Drip System (FDS): low cost, Gravity based, Water and labor efficient
A typical FDS family plot:
(500 m2 FDS, Additional 500 m2 traditionally irrigated)
Supports the family nutrition.
produces 10 times more produce than needed for family
consumption (calculated for 6 people).
The surplus is used for marketing to generate income.
provides all year round produce (4 crop cycles).
Typically each cycle will include 2 crop types.
Average produce per FDS plot:
Crop type
Production (Kg)
Tomato
1800
Melon
1500
Onion
1700
Okra
900
Watermelon
2500
Sorghum (grains)
120
Sorghum (fodder)
3000
Maize(grains)
200
Maize(fodder)
1000
Crop selection
Criteria:
• Nutritional value
• Resistance to arid conditions
• Good market price
• Resilience to transportation hazards
Examples:
Tomatoes, okra, onion, garlic, Melon, watermelon
Sorghum, Maize (for human consumption and
as fodder)
Dates, Pomegranates (community plantations)
Appropriate practices in all stages of crop cycle
Training Curriculum
Compost preparation
Land preparation
Crop planning
Nursery
Irrigation
Plant protection monitoring system
Weed control
Crop management
Post harvest
Record keeping
FID Central training Farm in Lobur
Design:
Vegetable plots (500 m2 each , Family Drip Irrigation system)
3 net houses
1 Liman plot
1 Earth Pan System (1 Family Drip Irrigation system)
3 date plantations
Central training Farm: Location
• Close to Lobur MCSPA mission for infrastructure and logistical support.
• Land is secured under a letter of allotment from Turkana County Council and from the
elders of the local communities.
• Water availability from 2 windmill-operated bore holes.
• Security measurements are in place.
• Local community in the vicinity.
• Accessible to visits by locals, government officials and representatives of commercial enterprises
Central farm: infrastructure
Vegetable plots with elevated
tanks and windpump
Vegetable plots and wind breakers
Nethouse and Vegetable plots 2nd course trainees and staff
sharing knowledge in the shade
The newly made Liman
Preparation for a date
plantation
Central farm: Vegetable plots
First Yields
Central Farm: Nursery Development
Outreach Points: graduates family plots
Lokitaung: near the dam
Narikotome
Narikotome
Kaikor
Kokuro
Kokoselei
Using treadle pump in Lokitaung
Liman plot in Lobur
Project Beneficiaries 2014-2016
360 local families of project graduates (direct and indirect) owning family plots who
will enjoy improved nutrition, additional fodder and income.
Graduates' circles of relatives and neighbors who will enjoy improved nutrition.
300 families of local workers to be employed in 3 community plantations on the banks
of Lake Turkana.
Other members of the local communities who will generate income for their families
through secondary jobs based on agriculture and marketing, e.g. food processing,
food preservation, transportation of produce to markets, etc.
Planning Process and Key Participants
Field survey by Brit Olam and ACSD
expert delegation, December 2011
MCSPA missionaries and Turkana Elders
• Joint planning and ongoing revision by
the 3 project partner organizations each
contributing its own expertise
• Selection process of local trainees in
collaboration with the local community
Expert visits and record keeping by Israeli
professional field team & trainees
FID is run in coordination with the local government and with the full approval of the
Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture.
Delegates of Kenyan government and World Bank
visiting FID new training farm, summer 2012
The Diocese of Lodwar (DOL) functions as a central development agency in Turkana.
FID is supported by DOL through MCSPA as a pilot agricultural program.
Once its success will be proved, the program model may be applied in other parts of the
county as well as other semi arid regions.
DOL Master Plan of Food Security
Main Survey Findings (2012):
• Crop production is the 2nd ranked livelihood
source in Turkana after livestock production.
• Crop production is mainly at subsistence level.
• There is high latent potential of water and
arable land
• There is much motivation of locals to be
self-sufficient.
Main Recommendations:
• Capacity building of local people in agriculture
• Promoting irrigated agriculture using rain and
underground water harvesting
• Using dry land high value crops, especially
vegetables and fruits
• Expanding fruit and vegetable market in Lodwar and neighboring towns
• Linkage of local farmers to the available markets in the growing towns.
For further reference:
Missionary Community of Saint Paul the Apostle (MCSPA)
www.mcspa.org
Brit Olam – International Volunteering and Development
www.britolam.org
Arava Center for Sustainable Development (ACSD)
http://arava.org
Contact persons:
Albert Salvans (MCSPA, Turkana): albert.salvans@mcspa.org
Maque Falgas (MCSPA, Turkana): mfalgas@hotmail.com
Milett Biberman (Brit Olam, Israel): milett@britolam.org
Cel. +972-546-347-437