This archive report was first published on 5 November 2019.
On a sunny morning in November 2019, 53-year-old Sinzobakwira Riziki, a refugee from Burundi, was already at the gate of a 30 million litre capacity water pan at Village 1 in Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement, ready to check on her crops.
Ms Riziki, a passionate farmer, has made a name for herself among both refugees and host Turkana locals due to her outstanding sunken beds with healthy crops.
She waters her vegetables twice in the morning and twice in the evening each day, with her children taking over the routine when she is engaged.
Ms Riziki explained that sunken beds offer several advantages to raised beds and ground-level beds, particularly in arid climates, as they retain moisture, keep roots cooler, and can withstand the hot climate.
She added that seeing her crops thrive and get frequent orders from her neighbours and customers has kept her busy and made her forget the suffering she encountered in her country before seeking refuge in Kenya in 2016.
Since being selected as a beneficiary of the water pan project in April 2019, Ms Riziki has reaped big from her first crops, making at least Sh4,500 in profit per week with eggplant being the most valuable crop on her farm.
Just like other women who have adopted crop farming, Ms Riziki supplements the relief food support her family is entitled to with fresh and nutritious vegetables, which she also sells to her neighbours and customers.
Mr Josphat Ekai, a Turkana herder from Kalobeyei village, noted that before the farm project was established, most of the vegetables could take more than a week to reach Kakuma from Kitale, and he had no idea how to plant sukuma wiki.
Through integration, Mr Ekai's wife is now able to cook the vegetables after being taught by her friends from different nationalities.
He added that the water pan and greenhouse project is a good example of how integration can make refugees and locals self-reliant, as opposed to endless quarrels over who is being favoured in terms of relief support.
According to Mr Samal Lokuno, a Kakuma-based WFP Programmes policy officer, the European Union-funded farming project will see 150 refugees and 150 Turkana locals allocated a 10 metres by 10 meters plot in the greenhouse to venture into horticulture farming.
Dr Daniel Irura, a senior FAO official, said that the project will provide relevant agronomic or agricultural best practices, identify high-value crops, train farmers, and supply them with seeds, hand tools, bio-pesticides, and water management and conflict mitigation skills.
The crops will be banked on to tackle malnutrition, as they will be rich in nutrients, and market linkages will be provided to ensure the farmers are motivated to plant and attract more residents to develop interest in the venture.
Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement was established in 2015 after the host community donated 1500 hectares to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as part of the Kalobeyei Integrated Socio Economic Development (KISEDP) plan in Turkana West sub county.
Phase one of the KISEDP was rolled out after a roundtable meeting in 2014 that brought together UNHCR, the county government of Turkana, then national government, development and humanitarian partners.
Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok said that the programme will make refugees an integral part of the economic development of the proposed Kakuma/Kalobeyei Municipality through integration to ensure self-reliance and poverty reduction.
According to Nanok, the programme is expected to cost Sh. 50 billion and will focus on eight components; education, health, food security, private sector and entrepreneurship, sustainable energy solutions as well as agriculture, livestock and natural resource management.
