Large-scale irrigation development in Kenya: past performance and future prospects

Abstract

This paper examines policy issues relating to large-scale public irrigation schemes (the National Irrigation Board (NIB) schemes and the Bura scheme) in Kenya. First, it considers the need for intensified agricultural production given a declining land base and a rapidly growing population. Irrigation development can assist in land use intensification. Next, the following topics are discussed: land tenure within the context of the NIB schemes; the Trust Lands Irrigation Areas Rules, which constitute the legal basis for the management of the large-scale irrigation schemes in Kenya; cultivation on the schemes; tenant holdings and responsibilities; rules concerning the keeping of livestock on the schemes; crops grown by the public schemes (rice, cotton); the costs of operating the schemes and the recovery of investment and operational costs; agricultural marketing and pricing of products; research activities pertaining to irrigation farming; nutrition and quality of life on the schemes; and water rights and water allocation.