By MICHAEL KALOKI
Benard Mwenja is one of the luckier farmers in Kenya. He's still able to grow and harvest crops – something he's been doing for three decades to earn his livelihood in a country where agriculture is the backbone of the economy.
The majority of farmers in Kenya are smallholders, and they rely on their crops not only for income but as a source of food for their families. But it's become harder than ever to make a living, said Mwenja, who is 69.
One problem is the erratic rainfall due to the changing climate. Mwenja has reserve supplies of water saved up in reservoirs to draw upon when the rains falter.
"It took me a long time to dig up the earthen water pans on my farm," says Mwenja, referring to the pond-like craters dug in various parts of his farm to collect rainwater. "It was a lot of work because I was digging by hand."
He uses a mix of drip and sprinkler irrigation systems to water his crops. The water mainly flows with the help of gravity, although in some instances he needs to use a water pump, which he says has been expensive to purchase and maintain. "My neighbors were doubtful if all that work would pay off," he says.
But it has. His neighbor's corn plants – a staple crop – are wilted, their bean plants are drying up.
"They have asked us to cut their maize stalks and give to our cows, because they will not be able to harvest anything," he says. "They can now see that the reservoirs have become very useful."
Benard Mwenja's reserve water supply has helped him weather the drought better than many of his neighbors. He is now focusing on more stable crops like kale, carrots and onions instead of relying only on corn with its fluctuating prices.
Michael Kaloki for NPR
And it's not just the lack of rain that's making life tough for Kenya's 10 million farmers, who represent about a fifth of the population. It seems as if everything is conspiring against them. The rising cost of fuel, the lack of fertilizer and even the war in Ukraine all pose new obstacles.
"We have been planting cereals for many years, but it is now becoming difficult to plant cereals because of the prices," Mwenja says with a frown on his face. Small-scale corn famers across the country have called on both the government and private millers to increase the purchase price of corn to be more in line with the rising cost of living. Because of corn's fluctuating price, Mwenja seems to have more faith in his other crops, such as kale, carrots and onions. His kale's big leaves now look lush and green, ready for picking.
But he is concerned about the effect of erratic weather on his farm. "In this area, because of the weather change, people are not even planting vegetables. We are doing the vegetables because I have water reservoirs," he says.
Many of Mwenja's neighbors have suffered the effects of poor rainfall. Countries in the Horn of Africa are experiencing their worst drought in 40 years, fueling a hunger crisis. According to a report by the international aid agency Oxfam, over 21 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia face acute hunger. The report also forecasts that recurrent droughts will continue to aggravate the region's fragility, causing further crop failures, food instability, losses of livelihoods and large-scale internal displacement.
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