The WATDEV project a Climate Smart WATer Management and Sustainable Development for Food and Agriculture in East Africa is focused on supporting food production through water resources. WATDEV, focusing on Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt aims at improving water and soil management as well as agricultural production methods.
Kenya being a member is set to benefit from an Sh1 billion climate-smart project as the WATDEV project seeks to support up to two million farmers from the four countries. The funds will boost the operations in Bura and Hola irrigation schemes in the Lower Eastern, along the lower Tana River.
The emphasis on the essence of WATDEV was made during a two-day WATDEV project multi-actors regional meeting in Nairobi, co-hosted by the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), the Kenya Agricultural Research and Livestock Organization (KALRO) in collaboration with the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies –Institute of Bari (CIHEAM-BARI), an Italian-based intergovernmental organization.
Highlighting the benefits of the project, KALRO director general Eliud Krieger said the project seeks to ensure efficient water production and management. Lower Tana being a beneficiary is in an attempt to address challenges faced in the zone from the fluctuation of water levels and meandering of the river which causes untold damage to cultivated fields close to the bank.
“The project goal is to develop an in-depth understanding of small and large-scale water resource use and management while boosting people’s resilience to climate change through innovative research, modeling, and capacity building,” he said.
Kiriger further cites water scarcity during dry spells in the area and a failure to maximize the use of flood waters during the rainy seasons for more beneficial purposes. Stating that these challenges affect food production hence the severe consequences of food insecurity witnessed in the region.
“The project also seeks to address limited institutional and individual capacity in the management of water and natural resources,” he said.
ASARECA executive director Enock Warinda said WATDEV will collect, analyze, and implement available best practices and innovations in study areas and simulate their impact scenarios with the use of models and knowledge accumulated in regional water studies.
According to Mr. Warinda, the project is aimed at increasing the sustainability of agricultural water management and the resilience of agroecosystems to climate change in the East African region and Egypt.