Irrigation management and poverty dynamics: case study of the Nyando basin in Western Kenya.

Abstract

Three distinct pathways of irrigation development have been pursued in Kenya over the last 20 years: a topdown planning approach, a centralized service approach and an unregulated smallholder approach. All three pathways have simultaneously unfolded in the Nyando basin flood plain in Western Kenya. Data from a participatory analysis of poverty and livelihood dynamics from villages around the Nyando basin indicate that the incidence of poverty is higher in the flood plain than in the other parts of the basin. Within the flood plain, there are distinct patterns of poverty and livelihood dynamics in areas associated with different approaches to landownership and irrigation management. Over the last 10 years, poverty has risen rapidly to over 40% in the area following the top-down planning approach, increased slowly in smallholder mixed farming areas and remained relatively stable in areas supported by the centralized service agency. Recent changes in Kenya's water policy offer new opportunities for reforming and reviving the irrigation sector.

Prevalence and determinants of unintended pregnancy among women in Nairobi, Kenya

“…Higher levels of unintended pregnancy among the Luo and Luyha in the study may relate to their lower empowerment status, poorer socio-economic status and more limited access to family planning products [21,45,46]. Compared to Kikuyu women, more Luo and Luhya women in Kenya currently survive as dependents of men in relationships that hinder their power to protect themselves from unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections [21,47,48]. The poorer socio-cultural and economic status of Luo and Luyha women finds expression, among other things, in the ideology of patrilineal inheritance, male-biased property rights, virilocalism and male ownership of children.…”

Understanding poverty dynamics in Kenya

“…Over the past 6 years, Stages of Progress has been used in different parts of India, Peru, Kenya, Uganda, and Colombia (Krishna, 2004;Krishna et al, 2006;Swallow et al, 2007;Krishna et al, 2006a;Humboldt-Universitat Zu Berlin, 2005;Johnson et al, 2009). This study represents the largest number of communities ever studied using this method, and the first attempt at national representativeness.…”

The status and challenges of a modern irrigation system in Kenya: A systematic review

“…Inadequate participation by farmers in decision‐making is a common feature in the majority of irrigation schemes in Africa, which removes their sense of ownership and responsibility in the management of water in the scheme and ultimately affects their motivation to invest in modernizing irrigation systems (Mutambara et al, 2016). According to Swallow et al (2007), inadequate participation in decision‐making led to a collapse of irrigation schemes in the Nyando basin. In their study, it was established that farmers in the scheme managed by the National Irrigation Board (the predecessor to the NIA) were considered to be only “tenants,” with little tenure security, and thus they had less incentive to invest in developing irrigation facilities.…”