By Maina Waruru MWEA, Kenya (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - After inheriting land from his father 20 years ago, George Kinyua did the same as thousands of other local farmers: he grew rice using water from canals. Back then, irrigation water was plenty in this part of central Kenya, and the only thing farmers worried about was how to get the best market prices for their produce. Then in 2000, Kenya suffered a prolonged drought that reduced water levels in the area's rivers. Farmers were forced to abandon rice cultivation in favor of less thirsty crops. To survive, Kinyua took to growing tomatoes and French beans on his 4 acres (1.62 hectares), using water from a 40-foot (12.19 m) well he...
↧