Farmers in Kenya’s southern Kwale county who had turned to logging and quarrying after prolonged drought have been harvesting a variety of crops over the past few weeks thanks to an early-action distribution of specialized seeds by the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS). The Kenya Drought Early Action Protocol Light Activation, supported by the British and Dutch Red Cross, began in October 2022 with the distribution to 1,500 Kwale farmers of three types of drought-tolerant and disease-resistant seeds: green grams, cowpeas and sorghum. The seed types replaced traditional but vulnerable maize and were selected in consultation with the farmers and experts from the Department of Agriculture. Most of Kwale experienced some rain during the short-rains in November and December. No farmer got the full yield that was theoretically possible from the quantity of seed planted, given the patchy short rains, but the harvest of green grams, especially, was above the long-term average. Project monitoring that included face-to-face community meetings has now established that 80 per cent of the beneficiary farmers have enjoyed relatively high yields. The early action also supported the rehabilitation of a borehole that supplies water to 750 households in three villages. Recommendations listed by the project team include supplying farmers with approved pesticides, supporting communities with environmental education, planting fruit trees and diversifying livelihoods (given the lack of adequate tree cover); helping with sustainable fuel for cooking such as eco-friendly briquettes instead of charcoal, and stepping up construction of boreholes, dams and water pans for irrigation.
