A drive from Isiolo town to Attir village does not prepare one for any agricultural activities in the arid area that is characterised by desert vegetation.

But upon reaching our destination, we spot a large raised water tank, into which water is pumped using solar panels.

A few metres from the tank, some farmers are busy tending to their onion crop.

Francis Nashi is one of them and as he weeds the crop, he is optimistic he will harvest big by December as the onions have done well.

Bulb onions from Tanzania

“Currently, the market is flooded with bulb onions from Tanzania, but I am hoping the demand will be higher and supply lower by the time I harvest during the festive season,” says Nashi, who targets to harvest about a tonne from his half-acre farm and sell each kilo at between Sh60 and Sh80.

His farming journey is a story of hope and determination.

“I used to farm under irrigation using water from Garamara River, but it dried up, forcing me to move to another location, near Garanitin River,” recalls Nashi

However, as fate would have it, the second river too dried up thanks to the unfolding effects of climate change, characterised by persistent dry period.

Charcoal burning

Nashi quit farming and turned to charcoal burning for his livelihood, a job he did for 10 years.

This venture, he says, was not only destructive to the environment, but also risky as he was often arrested by police for illegal logging.

“I now farm onions, coriander, tomatoes, maize and beans among other crops,” says Nashi, adding he has received assistance from Kenya Resilient Arid Lands Partnership for Integrated Development (Kenya Rapid), a project run by the Isiolo county government and development organisation.

Through the project, the institutions have established a water point in the village where he now accesses water for irrigation.

Depressed rains

Like Nashi, Joseph Lomalia had also given up on farming due to lack of water, but he now grows onions that he sells a kilo at Sh60.

“I like farming onions because I can store them for longer and wait for prices to get better,” says Lomalia, noting he gets up to five tonnes of produce from an acre.

Being an arid area, Isiolo receives depressed rains, making access to water a challenge.

“But with access to water, this has opened up opportunities in agribusiness and transport,” says Dr Lawrence Mwongela, the Agriculture executive adding, “In a place like Garbela, people used to exclusively keep livestock, but access to water has given them an opportunity to diversify to crops production.”

The county plans to establish a dam along River Ewaso Nyiro to provide water for irrigation, which farmers will use to grow sorghum, green grams and horticultural crops, says the executive.

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