Climate-Smart Farming, Irrigation Take Centre Stage as Kenya, Israel Tackle Water Crisis

Irrigation and climate-smart agriculture dominated discussions in Nairobi this week, as farmers, government officials, researchers and development partners examined ways to help communities cope with worsening water shortages and shifting weather patterns.

The Growing Together showcase, held at Mount Carmel Convent Farm in Lavington, brought together government, research institutions, the private sector, diplomats and faith based organisations for presentations and a farm tour.

Israeli Ambassador to Kenya Gideon Behar told attendees that irrigation remained the most pressing agricultural challenge facing Kenya and the wider African continent, pointing to drip irrigation as a practical, farmer friendly solution.

He said technologies introduced to farmers needed to be simple enough for someone in Embu or Kisumu to adopt without specialised training, drawing on Israel's decades of water management experience.

Secretary to the Cabinet Mercy Wanjau said agriculture remained a major government priority and linked food security directly to water access, describing the two as inseparable for rural livelihoods.

She framed the event as a demonstration of collaboration between communities, development partners, the Israeli government and Kenya, citing a Swahili proverb on the need for multiple partners working together.

CultivAid Nursery Manager Wincate Kariuki presented the organisation's work in Embu County, where it began propagating seedlings after farmers struggled to access quality planting materials.

The nursery started with capacity for 1.2 million seedlings annually and distributed one million seedlings to farmers in Embu and beyond last year, before expanding further and establishing model farms across the county.

Farmers at those model farms are trained on drip irrigation, bed preparation and pest management, while attachment programmes are developing a new generation of young agronomists.

A similar approach has taken root at the Sisters of Mount Carmel, where drip irrigation and greenhouses now support crops including capsicum on the convent grounds.

For Nora Igoki, a farmer from Evurore Ward in Mbeere North Sub County, Embu County, water access remains the single biggest obstacle to farming despite land not being in short supply.

Igoki leads the Green Paradise Water Project, a community group of 780 members drawing irrigation water from the Thuchi River after securing piping through their member of parliament.

The project has connected more than 400 members to water, and a model farm established with CultivAid support is now producing tomatoes and kales that some farmers are already selling.

More than 380 members of the group still lack water access, underscoring how far coverage still needs to extend even where a working model already exists.

Dr Ayao Sindu of the Kenya Water Institute said research and innovation would have limited impact unless the resulting knowledge actually reached farmers on the ground.

He cited digital agriculture, remote sensing, artificial intelligence and precision agriculture as tools already supporting decisions on planting, water management, pest surveillance and market access.

Behar said Kenya and Israel had cooperated in agriculture for decades, with thousands of Kenyans travelling to Israel for training before returning to work in the sector locally.

He noted that half of Israel's agriculture is irrigated and that the country purifies 97 percent of its sewage water for reuse, positioning wastewater treatment as another area of potential cooperation.

Nairobi Archbishop Philip Anyolo and Caritas Nairobi's Father Peter Kiari also addressed the gathering, linking water access to food security and the Archdiocese's livelihoods programmes.

The event closed with the ceremonial planting of fruit trees and a tour of the demonstration farm's irrigation systems and greenhouses, capping a day focused on practical solutions.

Igoki's experience captured the gap still ahead. Showcasing climate-smart technology is one step, but extending it to communities where water remains scarce is a separate and ongoing challenge.