By Isaiah Esipisu
UKAMBANI, Kenya (AlertNet) - After three years of scorching drought that brought severe hunger, people in Ukambani in eastern Kenya have finally learned how to cope with tough climatic conditions.
Five months ago, Mwende Kisilu had to walk for more than 10 kilometres to dry riverbeds where she would sink a shallow well in search of water for household use.
Her children would go to school without bathing. Washing clothes wasn't a priority. And any available drop of water had to be used over and over again.
"But now, the situation is slowly changing for the better," says the middle-aged woman, who has sustained her family with wild fruits, roots and food aid for years.
"I thank God that we have been able to harvest and preserve water. For the past four months, I have lived like a 'queen', with water only a stone's throw away from my house."
Kenya's Eastern Province is semi-arid, and Ukambani - the traditional homeland of the Kamba people with a population of over 5 million - is one of the east African country's driest areas, covering nearly 160,000 square kilometres.
The drought that ended a few months ago - during which not a drop of rain fell for three years - was among the worst in the region's history. Experts predict climate change will bring even drier conditions.
FOOD FOR DAMS
Local people have been forced to rely on relief supplies and whatever they can forage to get through extreme dry spells.
But an initiative known as "Food for Assets" (FFA), led by the U.N. World Food Programme, takes a new approach to aid, using food as an incentive for community members to participate in development projects rather than just giving handouts.
"Residents, through self help groups, are requested to do some work geared towards improving food security before receiving food aid during starvation periods," explains Jacobus Kiilu of ActionAid Kenya, one of the NGOs implementing the programme.
So far 29,000 residents in 19 self-help groups - who were reliant on food aid during the recent drought - have constructed 66 water dams, which are still full of water three months after the El-Nino rains on which these communities depend.
They are using the water they have been able to collect for the first time in this way for domestic needs and small-scale horticulture.
"We have taught them how create shallow wells, sand dams and earth dams, and how to harvest water from rocks," says Kiilu.
Huge concrete fences have been built on the sides of big rocks to guide rain water to central points at the base of each rock. The harvested water is then stored in tanks for use in times of need.
PITS FOR FRUIT TREES
"We are helping them integrate the water-harvesting and storage systems with dry-land farming techniques that have succeeded elsewhere," says Kiilu, adding that the scheme aims to enhance food production in semi-arid areas like Ukambani.
One method being tried out is the construction of "zai pits", adopted from Burkina Faso. "It is a simple technology used to conserve moisture in a pit sunk in the land, which supports the growth of different crops," explains Kiilu.
A square hole two feet deep and two feet wide is dug in dry land. It is then filled with a mixture of compost manure and top soil, which can preserve moisture for several months.
These pits are ideal for growing drought-resistant fruit trees, and in Ukambani, residents have chosen to plant grafted mangoes, oranges and tangerine trees.
While the trees develop, the pit is also used for other crops like maize, water melons and pumpkins.
"We can now relax and concentrate on other projects because we have water. The dams have saved us the pain of trekking for several hours in search for water," says Kisilu. "It has always been the biggest burden for women, especially in Ukambani."
Isaiah Esipisu is a science writer based in Nairobi.
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