Problems that face irrigation farming in Kenya
Pests and diseases. Pests like cotton seed bug and quelea birds that feed on rice coupled with crop diseases leads to low yields. Unreliable rainfall in the river catchments leads to fluctuating of water hence reducing the amount of water availability for irrigation. This problem is particularly acute in Perkerra. Occurrence of floods. Some irrigation schemes like Bunyala in Busia and Hola in Tana River are affected by flood water during the rainy seasons which destroy the crops and infrastructure. Silting of canals. Frequent silting interrupts water flow in canals and reduces the amount of water available for irrigation. The dredging process is expensive. Human diseases. Stagnant water in fields encourages the breeding of snails and mosquitoes which transmits bilharzias and malaria which weaken / kill farmers. Inadequate capital. Irrigation farming requires a lot of capital to purchase the equipment and to meet the operational costs. it has been difficult to initiate new project...