Informations et ressources scientifiques
sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

Titre : Drought Resilience in Northern Kenya

Dürreresilienz im Norden Kenias

Pays : Kenya

Numéro du projet : 2013.2475.5

Durée : 01.01.2014 - 31.12.2016

Commissioned by : German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Contexte
Around 30 per cent of Kenya’s population lives in arid and semi-arid regions, which cover 80 per cent of the country. The long period during which these regions and their communities were politically neglected has led to high levels of poverty and widespread malnutrition. Droughts are occurring at increasingly shorter intervals, and pose a threat to food security and peace. The 2011 drought was one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent years. In a fundamental policy shift, the heads of state and government of the countries of the Horn of Africa emphasised within the September 2011 Nairobi Declaration their resolve to strengthen their self-help capacities by revitalising investment in the neglected sectors and regions. In this way, they seek in the medium to long term to transform the agricultural sector to ensure sufficient food production despite droughts. The donor community has committed major support to these efforts. The Kenyan institutions now responsible for agricultural and rural development, which in some cases have recently been created or are in the process of being established within the decentralisation process, will need to use the international donor community’s funding for this purpose. Kenya’s Common Programme Framework for Ending Drought Emergencies and increasing drought resilience stipulates the concrete implementation of activities using these funds. Yet the institutions responsible are not yet sufficiently able to promote drought-resistant agricultural and rural development in northern Kenya

Description
The project focuses on support for the two counties of Marsabit and Turkana in northern Kenya. The project team is advising the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries on implementing the initiated reforms and restructuring measures. The National Drought Management Authority is responsible for coordinating the different areas of work and for the cross-thematic planning and realisation of the Common Programme Framework. The project team provides advice and training for the responsible parties within the agricultural institutions of the county governments, and assists them in planning and carrying out drought-resistant agricultural development – with relevant investments and training strategies. Continuing training is offered to staff at county and sub-county level to enable them to perform their new tasks competently. The team also supports the counties and sub-county structures in optimising their organisational structures and internal processes. Together with the project team, county government employees and researchers are assessing innovative technologies that have been tried and tested in other countries, with a view to introducing them in Kenya.

Objectif : Key institutions for agricultural development, particularly those at national and county level in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid regions, promote drought-resilient agriculture and rural development with a view to achieving food security.

Partenaire du projet : Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries

Financement : 4 000 000 Euro

Présentation : GIZ