The government has stepped up its drive to promote irrigation-based, large-scale agriculture as repeated droughts and climate unpredictability continue to weaken rain-fed farming systems.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe says Kenya must urgently shift to science-led, technology-driven and digital farming methods to boost productivity, particularly in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs).
Central to this approach is the 1.8 million-acre Galana-Kulalu Food Security Project, which has been set aside exclusively for mechanised, irrigated, large-scale farming.
The CS cautioned that subdividing the land would undermine mechanisation and efficiency, emphasising that large-scale irrigation is essential to cutting food imports and stabilising national supply.
Through the Land Commercialization Initiative, the government is attracting both local and international investors under a transparent and competitive framework, while ensuring strong community integration and economic linkages.
He also pointed to private-sector investments, including the Nyumba Group’s large-scale irrigation projects, as models of resilient, technology-enabled farming suited to ASAL regions.
