WFP in Sh84m drought mitigation project

By Lucas Ng'asike

The World Food Programme (WFP) plans to spend about Sh84 million to alleviate drought and hunger in Kenya’s semi-arid and arid districts.

The WFP Kenya Country Director, Ronald Sibanda, disclosed that the African Development Bank (ADfB) had given them $1 million (Sh83.8m) to support recovery and resilience building activities in Turkana and other arid districts.

“My organisation has received the funds from ADfB to support people suffering from the effects of drought through water projects and food security,” Sibanda said. The director said they were expanding support for the activities that will promote sustainable food security in the region.

Mr Sibanda added that the WFP would develop mechanism on food security to ensure the communities, which are frequently affected by prolonged drought cope with the situation.

Addressing farmers in Lokichoggio on the Kenya-Southern Sudan border on Wednesday, the WFP official encouraged the community to double their efforts in sustainable food security projects in the area.

“We want to see farmers in this region increase their efforts in crop farming. We want to see them produce enough food that they will even sell to the neighbouring countries,” Sibanda said.

• .

  Keep Reading

• 
  Turkana pastoralists struggle for survival as climate change bites
• 
  South Sudan leader vows to implement peace deal despite hitches
• 
  Why millions of Kenyans are struggling to put food on the table
• 
  Women in war-torn Sudan earn living by making sweets

He said the donation would assist the organisations to provide food security support to drought-hit communities. Sibanda said they would work in collaboration with the Ministry of Water and Irrigation in provision of water tanks to the community.

The Director of Water and Land Reclamation Services Peter Mangiti said the Government would focus on promotion of rain harvesting technologies and rehabilitation of degraded lands to enhance community resilience.

Water pans
Mr Mangiti said the WFP and the Government through Food For Asset projects have funded the construction of 29 water pans and reclaimed over 6,500 ha of arid land at a tune of Sh50 million in Turkana County.

The director added that in the last five years, the project has supported more than 11,000 households.
ADfB representative Walter Odero said the project would address food security.