KENYA: Peter Wangai, "This is the longest dry spell we've experienced"

Photo: Jane Some/IRIN

Peter Macharia Wangai practises mixed farming in Lare division, Njoro district

LARE (NJORO), 20 August 2009 (IRIN) - Peter Wangai Macharia, a retired postal worker, has been a farmer in Njoro area of Kenya's Rift Valley province area since the 1990s. This year, he is not expecting any harvest, despite having planted maize, beans, sweet potatoes and vegetables during the long rains season between March and June 2009. He spoke to IRIN at his farm in Kiriri village, Lare division, on 17 August:

"Before 1994, farming was a joy for most of us; it was profitable and the rains were regular; in fact I can say life was very good then.

"Things started changing after 1994. Rain became erratic and the amounts sometimes were too little for the crops; sometimes we had good harvests, other times less than we expected. Things went from bad to worse in 2005 and from there it has been downhill all the way. We put in so much in terms of preparation and planting but we incurred huge losses at harvest time.

"We are now experiencing the longest dry spell I have ever seen; we have had very little rain since 2007. The post-election violence [in early 2008, mainly in the Rift Valley] did not help much, because people fled their homes and some of them came to our area seeking refuge. This further strained the little agricultural produce we had.

"I believe the cutting-down of trees in the [nearby] Mau forest has contributed to the poor rains in this area. Rivers and springs have dried up and many people have to travel long distances in search of water. I am lucky because I have built a large water tank to harvest rainwater but if the dry season persists, I will soon join the others in buying water.

"This year, I have incurred such heavy losses that I don't even know where to start the recovery process. I am thinking of moving away from planting maize and beans; I have planted grass and I may increase the acreage under grass when the short rains come [expected between September and December]. Even the little cotton I had planted, I will get rid of it and plant grass, which will help feed the cows.

"For us to plant maize next year, the government has to look into ways of helping us because we usually depend on the harvests to prepare for the next cropping season. The government will have to reduce fuel costs in 2010 to enable us to plough our land; it will also have to reduce fertilizer prices further.

"I am appealing to the government and donors to provide relief food in the meantime as we have little to eat; the little maize the government distributes through the chief's office is not enough.

"We also need help to re-stock the livestock that have died due to the drought, even if it is access to soft loans. Such loans would also help us with water supplies as more boreholes and dams are needed.

"If things continue the way they are, my family is in trouble; the little pension I get from the postal corporation is not enough to feed my wife, our children and our grandchildren who also depend on us."

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