The farming industry in Kenya is much like that throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. The land is dry in Kenya to the north and east. Happily the western regions rise up to mountainous highlands.
Irrigation
Prevailing westerlies collect moisture as they pass across the great Lake Victoria, then deposit it as rain on the hillsides. Rivers run back to the lake.
These are the fertile farmlands of Kenya. But even here the climate is slowly changing. Rainy seasons are less reliable, the right moment to plant has become more of a lottery. In 2022 the rains arrived with immensely damaging hailstorms. Farmers everywhere would always welcome more benign conditions, but here the challenges are acute.
Here, where the river Khalaba separates smallholder’s fields from Bungoma town, is where we are doing what we can to help local farmers better understand how they can adapt, step up to the task of increasing yields – and achieve this in the face of increasing challenges from climate change..
Soil types
https://www.infonet-biovision.org/soil-management/kenyan-soils
Bungoma county soils are mainly :
Acrisols. These include clay in the sub-soil which is often not very porous, impeding root spreading. They have a relatively low water-storage capacity. Acrisols in wet areas have a low (acid) pH, Al and Mn toxicities, low levels of nutrients and nutrient reserves.
Ferrasols. These soils have poor structure and need erosion-control measures. Organic and inorganic fertilizers are needed to improve crop production. The soils respond well to fertilizers (especially N, P and K) and to the use of soil organic matter.
