Policy Brief: Harnessing the Potential of Irrigation in Elgeyo-Marakwet County

Abstract

The Tot-Kolowa irrigation scheme was designed to address regional food insecurity in the Kerio Valley, northwest Kenya. The project aimed to scale up food production through the implementation of a fixed pipe system and the provision of agricultural inputs for cash cropping. In doing so, the project’s planners aimed to redesign agriculture and irrigation wholesale rather than supporting and maximising existing systems which have been sustainably managed for centuries. This lack of engagement with local knowledge ultimately led to the project’s collapse. This policy brief summarises key take aways of a ten-year project that documented the development, operation and decline of the scheme. We emphasize that any future revival of the project must adopt a more equitable form of co-design rooted in community knowledge and practice.