This archive report was first published on 6 September 2019.
Published on September 6, 2019, a prolonged drought at the beginning of the year has left large-scale farmers in Nakuru County reeling in huge losses.
The drought has left the agriculture-rich region food insecure, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of residents.
Mr. Joseph Boro, a dairy farmer at Mbaruk in Gilgil sub-county, is worried that the drought may have devastating effects on his 300 acres of Rhodes grass.
“The drought witnessed at the start of the year slowed down the growth of Rhodes grass I had planted for my dairy animals. This means I will have to spend more on buying hay to mitigate the impact of adverse weather on my livestock,” he said.
Mr. Boro is also concerned about the erratic rain patterns, which have made it difficult for him to predict the onset of rains.
“Gone are the days when I could predict the onset of rains. Even what the weatherman is telling us is unpredictable sometimes,” he argues.
Other farmers in the region are using a wide range of agricultural technologies and strategies to cope with climate change.
Mr. Jackson Kihika, a farmer in Dundori, said that should rains continue to be erratic, agriculture will be seriously affected in future.
“For the past two seasons I have lost a huge amount of maize and potato crop in my 60 acres farm due to erratic weather,” said Mr. Kihika.
