Business

Unreliable rainfall yields farmer irrigation prowess

Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 00:00 | By
Onions grown using drip irrigation method. Photo/PD/KWACH WAKHISI

Like many farmers across the country, Samuel Gaithoh used to rely on rainfall alone to water his crops.

“In 2012, I began growing watermelons and tomatoes somewhere in the coast region.

I started alone and as time went by, I encouraged and brought on board four other like-minded friends whom we worked together to improve our agribusiness skills,” says Gaithoh.

“Although our fresh produce business was doing well due to availability of a ready market, we faced a challenge. We were not earning much from our yields since rainfall was unreliable,” he explains.

Just like Gaithoh, many farmers across the country grapple with little rainfall or change in weather patterns that have an adverse effect on their yields.

Farmers all around the globe are quickly adopting irrigated agriculture as a guard against uncertainties, such as the amount and distribution of rain. 

There is a growing demand for water harvesting and irrigation as farmers look for opportunities to shift away from rain-fed farming practices, as many countries seek coping solutions for climate change.

For Gaithoh, this was a wake-up call for him to devise other ways to enable him increase productivity.

“I shifted to drip irrigation in 2014, since depending on rainfall was not giving me the outcome I wanted.

After conducting extensive research and settling for drip irrigation, I experienced a big change in terms of yield production and quality of our produce,” he explains.

A system of small diameter plastic pipes for drip irrigation, fitted with outlets laid down on a farm. PD/KWACH WAKHISI

The success of the drip irrigation system ignited his desire to set up his own agribusiness company and three years later, Success Farms (S-Farms) was established.

Gaithoh offers: “Basically, S-Farms provide a holistic approach to your irrigation systems.

We are a one stop shop whereby you not only get the best irrigation set up services, but we also guide you on how to perform well in the agricultural sector in terms of crop management, offering training to farmers on how to use the drip irrigation systems and ensuring that every client who seeks our services succeeds immensely by implementing our professional irrigation services.” 

His major focus is drip and overhead irrigation.

To identify farmers that are in need of irrigation systems, Gaithoh says they use a questionnaire and assessment forms.

“We later do a site visit to identify the terrain, topography, landscape and offer services based on the need,” he says.

“However, I would like to note that minimal rainfall means inadequate water and as we wait for the government to manage natural water resources, we are building structures to help farmers in harvesting water, such as water tanks, dam liners and drip irrigation systems,” he adds.

Identified huge gap 

Born in Embu and raised in both Embu and Mombasa, Gaithoh says his passion and love for farming began when he was still a young boy.

“I would watch the different things my parents did on their farm and I would also try my hands on them.

From a young age, I developed a liking for the agriculture sector and when I finally found my footing, I began growing vegetables, mainly tomatoes and onions, before opting for watermelons at the Kenyan coast.

I was able to interact with many farmers in different areas. It is during those interactions that I identified a huge gap in crop production due to the kind of irrigation methods that were been used.

I was driven to offer a solution and fill the gap and I started by helping farmers; enlightening them on irrigation systems, such as the drip irrigation system,” he says.

Drip irrigation is considered the most efficient in water and nutrient delivery system for growing crops.

“It delivers water and nutrients directly to the plant’s roots in the right amount at the right time hence each plant gets exactly what it needs when it needs it to grow optimally.

With drip irrigation, you will be able to produce higher yields while saving on water as well as fertiliser, energy, crop protection products and even labour,” says Gaithoh.

With drip irrigation, Gaithoh explains that there is minimal fertiliser and nutrient loss due to a localised application and reduced leeching.

“Fields with irregular shapes are easily accommodated and moisture within the root zone can be maintained at field capacity hence lessen soil erosion.

Drip irrigation also reduces weed growth, and the water distribution is highly uniform-controlled by the output of each nozzle. The labour cost is less than other irrigation methods.

The variation in supply can be regulated by regulating the valves and drippers.

The fertigation can easily be done with minimal waste of fertiliser; foliage remains dry hence reducing the risk of diseases.

On the other hand, it is usually operated at lower pressure than other types of pressurised irrigation hence reducing energy costs,” he explains.

Gaithoh says their target group is farmers, and anyone who is passionate about farming.

“Our aim is to reach out to many farmers across the country, even first time farmers, and offer our knowledge, expertise, as well as provide the best in irrigation systems.

My advice is farming requires constant attention and intelligence. If you want to be a farmer, it is important to be passionate about it since it will demand a lot of time and effort,” he says.

More on Business


ADVERTISEMENT