Kenya beans

USAid and the Kenya Horticulture Competitiveness Project are encouraging growers in the east African country to take advantage of ongoing steady rainfall by planting horticultural products and planning ahead for the dry season through rainwater harvesting.

Through the project’s interventions with local partner the Kenya Rainwater Association, 2,200 growers in eastern Kenya have been trained in water-harvesting techniques and have established 60 water ponds that are proving reliable water sources for more than 4,750 farmers in the region.

One of these beneficiaries is the Kamina Ngui Self-help Group, which has a water-harvesting demonstration site with a capacity of 50,000 litres. With the water collected, the group has planted tomatoes and kale under drip irrigation and has harvested 1,500 kg of tomatoes.