Take advantage of the upcoming rains to build a food secure nation

Murang’a,

Thursday, September 28, 2023

KNA by Florence Kinyua

In order to build a food secure nation, farmers need to make use of every drop that falls from the onset of rain, by adopting water harvesting techniques and storage methods.

Soil Analyst Bernard Ndung’a opined that it is paramount for farmers to harvest water by collecting and storing runoff or groundwater from areas with a surplus or in areas where these resources are not used to make water available during shortages. 

"Water is a must-have input in any farming venture and water storage must be emphasized so as to avoid perennial losses and build a nutrient rich food basket in all seasons,” he observed.

For instance, a farmer can use roof catchment and tanks which are easy to install and manage to conserve water.

“Roof catchment and tanks involve collecting the rain water from the impermeable roofs of buildings by use of gutter systems and directing the water to storage tanks which can either be plastic, concrete or use of ponds,” he said.

The soil analyst says that there is an urgent need to change from a rainfall-dependent country for agricultural production by adopting new farming techniques which save water, conserve the environment and enhance reliability in production.

Ndung’u encourages the use of bunds and terraces; a practice that involves making terraces which hold water to be used by the crops planted on the raised bunds.

“In bunds and terraces, the water maybe collected by use of container and applied to crops as the water also moistens the soil providing moisture for proper crop growth,” he noted.

The analyst also says that use of vertical gardens if properly applied will guarantee high yields and profits at a relatively low cost as it requires little management such as watering and weeding.

“In vertical gardens, one can grow several crop varieties in a small piece of land and is very efficient method for kitchen gardening,” he explained.

Another practice that can be used by small scale farmers according to Ndung’u is drip irrigation. “Drip irrigation, he notes, is cheap, environment-friendly, reduces pollution and is less laborious since the materials used are readily available,” he added.

In drip irrigation, the water will trickle from the bottle and make the soil around the crops wet. Once the bottle is drained, the farmer refills it and the same can be done to tree crops such as avocado, coffee or tree tomatoes.

Courtesy; KNA