OPINION: IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON RICE PRODUCTION IN WESTERN KENYA SCHEMES

 Joel Tanui, Senior Manager, National Irrigation Authority

OPINION: IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON RICE PRODUCTION IN WESTERN KENYA SCHEMES

 

By Joel K. TANUI

 

Senior Manager, National Irrigation Authority

 

July 31, 2020

 

Overview.

 

In the Rice growing schemes in Western Kenya, rice farmers are dealing with one of the worst floods in recent history, and now they also face substantial challenges created by the COVID 19 pandemic.

 

The pandemic has affected rice farming in many ways including security of land tenure and access to credit, capital inputs, remittance of operation & maintenance fee, and safe food and water. During emergencies such as the 2020 Floods and the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers need 

assistance, either from the government or Non-Governmental Organizations. 

 

National Irrigation Authority (NIA) in the region, have provided farmers with basic Assistance in maintenance of irrigation structures such as canals and water regulatory gates. Farmers in general are struggling.

 

Rice production in Western Kenya Scheme

 

About a third of Kenya’s domestic rice production comes from WKS (Ahero, West Kano, South West Kano and other community established schemes), with production averaging 27,592 metric tons with an estimated value of Kshs.  1,241,784,000 Annually. The region has over 4300 rice farmers cultivating over 11,000 acres. 

 

The problem

 

Over the past several seasons, rice farmers across the region have experienced growing labor shortages as working age adults migrated to nearby cities in search of better jobs and opportunities.

 

 As a result, farmers have increasingly mechanized rice production (cultivation and harvesting), switched to high yielding production practices such as use of herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers, all of which require greater capital inputs.

 

To this already stressful situation, COVID -19 has added an additional level of uncertainty for both farmers and rice value chain actors in the region.

  

For the young

 

Farmers who had moved to cities, the pandemic has caused unprecedented job losses and has affected remittance flows to the farming community. Across the region, 

locals who live within the schemes but have other jobs have also lost income. 

 

In June 2020, more than 30% of the farmers had not planted their rice crop as  compared to the same period in 2019, with the main reason being constrained by  flood damage and not COVID -19, BUT more than 65% of the farmers have reported  problems with purchasing agricultural inputs such as seeds and fertilizers. Limited access to credit is highly mentioned by farmers.

 

AFC (Agricultural Finance Corporation) and other banking institutions have paused Issuance of loans and some suspended operations hence critically affecting more than 65% of farmers who rely on loans to buy inputs. This is attributed to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

 

The farmers do not have land ownership titles hence they cannot access loans from other commercial banks other than Government owned institutions. This has exposed them to limited credit access hence inability to purchase inputs.

 

Because of the 2019-20 floods and rising lake levels, farmers have not even produced enough rice for both the market and home consumption. According to our projected harvests, there is likelihood of a drastic reduction by up to 40% since majority of the farmers are still affected. COVID -19 has made it difficult for them to get off-farm employment to earn money for food and some have reportedly been forced to take up fishing in the Lake.

 

Within the same region, access to clean water is also becoming problematic, both because of the floods and because of the emphasis on hand washing in national COVID-19 awareness campaigns. During our routine inspections across the farmer villages, many households do not have enough clean water for drinking and sanitation. 

 

Appeal

 

Thus, the overall objective of Government is to restore food security and improve the nutritional status of rural and urban population groups through input support to staple food production, and in support of agricultural marketing activities.

 

Support to food security monitoring and assessment comprises an important complementary activity that should be undertaken;

 

· Immediate provision of a standard input package of seeds, fertilizers, and 

Chemicals to the affected farmers for crops to be planted for the current 

Cropping season.

 

· Immediate support to the production of good-quality seed and seed 

Multiplication activities at farmers' level.

 

· Re-establishment of marketing infrastructure through Kenya National Trading Corporation in support of reviving the schemes economy as quickly as possible.

 

Joel K. Tanui

NATIONAL IRRIGATION AUTHORITY

SENIOR MANAGER- WESTERN KENYA.

 

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