CS Kagwe: Irrigation and large-scale farming key to ending Kenya’s drought-induced food crisis

As Kenya continues to grapple with recurrent droughts and rising food imports, the government has intensified its push for irrigation-led, large-scale agriculture, warning that rain-fed farming can no longer sustain a growing population under increasingly unpredictable climate conditions.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mutahi Kagwe said the country must urgently adopt scientific, technology-driven, and digital farming systems to increase productivity per acre, particularly in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), which make up more than 80 per cent of Kenya’s land mass.

He highlighted the 1.8 million-acre Galana-Kulalu Food Security Project, a key component of this strategy, designated strictly for large-scale, mechanised, and irrigated farming.

“We are making it clear in public, Galana-Kulalu is strictly for large-scale farming. Subdivision makes mechanisation impossible and defeats the purpose of this project,” Kagwe said.

He noted that Kenya’s heavy dependence on food imports, including about 92 per cent of wheat, over 80 per cent of rice, and significant quantities of sugar, has been exacerbated by droughts that routinely disrupt domestic production.

Large-scale irrigated farming, he said, is the only viable way to stabilise food supply, reduce the import bill, and build long-term resilience.

Under the Land Commercialization Initiative (LCI), the government is inviting serious local and international investors to participate in Galana-Kulalu, stressing that land allocation will be transparent, competitive, and free from favouritism.

The CS emphasised that fragmentation of land undermines mechanisation, efficiency, and returns.

Galana-Kulalu is also expected to generate strong backward and forward linkages across the economy, driving demand for locally manufactured fertilisers, irrigation equipment, transport and logistics services, while stimulating agro-processing and trade.

As irrigation infrastructure expands, the government is keen to lower the cost of production, particularly the price of irrigation pipes, electricity, and water delivery systems.

The CS urged manufacturers in the pipe-making and allied industries to scale up investment and prepare for increased demand, noting that Kenyan-manufactured pipes are of high quality and competitive.

Communities living around Galana-Kulalu were encouraged to view the project as an economic opportunity, with calls to invest in housing, retail, services, and supply chains to support a growing agricultural workforce.

The CS commended investors who have integrated their operations with surrounding communities through schools, health facilities, and corporate social responsibility initiatives, describing community inclusion as critical to sustainable large-scale agriculture.

Highlighting private-sector leadership in irrigation, Kagwe toured the Nyumba Group, where he commissioned an 800-acre earth dam capable of holding six billion litres of water, designed to support year-round irrigation.

The investment forms part of a wider programme led by the Nyumba Foundation, under Kirtan Hasmukh Kanji, which has poured over Ksh.6.4 billion into developing more than 300,000 acres, already producing crops at scale.

Kagwe described the Nyumba model as a benchmark for mechanised, technology-driven farming in ASAL regions.

He also visited Selu, a major seed maize producer, underscoring the importance of ensuring the country’s food systems have access to high-quality seeds to boost productivity and resilience.

Kagwe praised the integration of agricultural production with community development, noting that long-term investment, water-harvesting infrastructure, and social impact initiatives are key to transforming Kenya’s agriculture, reducing dependency on imports, and building resilience against future droughts.