AFRICA-ASIA DROUGHT RISK MANAGEMENT PEER ASSISTANCE PROJECT:

Enhancing Asia-African Cooperation and Promoting Integrated Drought Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation

South-South Cooperation - Study Tour in Kenya Report

3-9 October 2012

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2

ACRONYMS 3

I. BACKGROUND 4

II. OVERVIEW OF THE SITES VISITED DURING THE STUDY TOUR 5

Baringo County 5

Makueni County 5

Kajiado County 7

III. SUMMARY OF OBSERVATIONS MADE DURING THE STUDY TOUR 8

Baringo County 8

Makueni County ...........................................................................................................................................10

Kajiado County ..............................................................................................................................................11

IV. RESULTS AND FINDINGS ...........................................................................................................................14

V. WAY FORWARD ........................................................................................................................................16

ANNEX 1: TERMS OF REFERENCE ON THE STUDY TOUR IN KENYA ..................................................................18

ANNEX 2: LIST OF PARTICIPANTS TO THE STUDY TOUR ...................................................................................21

ANNEX 3: AADP KENYA STUDY TOUR PROGRAMME .......................................................................................22

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ACRONYMS

AADP Africa-Asia Drought Risk Management Peer Assistance Network CO Country Office DDC Drylands Development Centre DRM Drought Risk Management IDDP Integrated Drylands Development Programme KARI Kenya Agricultural Research Institute Kshs Kenya Shillings NDMA National Drought Management Authority NGO Non-Governmental Organization SSA Sub-Saharan Africa UNDP United Nations Development Programme

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I. BACKGROUND

The Africa-Asia Drought Risk Management Peer Assistance Network’s (AADP) first South-South Cooperation Study tour took place from 03 to09 October 2012, with the financial support of the Government of Japan, under the framework of the Integrated Drylands Development Programme (IDDP). It builds on the Sharm el Sheikh Action Plan adopted at the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Egypt in 2009, and the subsequent deliberations at the Sino-African High-Level Seminar on Drought Risk Reduction in China in 2011.The tour was hosted by the Government of Kenya represented by the Ministry of State for Special Programmes and coordinated by the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA). It was organized immediately after the 2nd Africa-Asia Drought Adaptation Forum held on 1-2 October 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya.1 The overall objective of the study tour was to foster partnership between China and drought-prone countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by promoting inter-regional dialogue on specific drought issues of mutual concern among key DRM-focused government and non-government actors from China and selected African countries. It aimed to help the participants deepen their understandings of drought risk management (DRM) capacity needs observed commonly in Africa as well as of the opportunities for China-Africa technical cooperation to fill in these gaps. This is a pilot activity responding directly to the increasing demands and recommendations among the government/non-governmental AADP users to promote targeted south-south peer-learning and -assistance support and build focused bilateral and multilateral DRM networks and practice communities. Annex 1 provides the detailed Terms of reference of the study tour. Kenya was selected as the destination of the study tour given the country’s long history of fighting drought and rich collection of experiences with DRM. While there are differences in topographic, climatic, agro-ecological and socio-economic settings among the participating countries, Kenya offers a number of demonstration sites, which showcase a concise overview of drought impacts and DRM practices largely seen in SSA, hence proving a suitable ground for mutual learning and exchange. Originally relevant Government and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) country office (CO) representatives from China and three countries representing primary drought-prone dryland sub-regions in SSA, namely Ghana (West Africa), Kenya (Eastern Africa) and Namibia (Southern Africa) were to participate in the tour. However, the delegates from Namibia were not able to participate due to other urgent commitments. The delegation was accompanied by the AADP Secretariat team from the UNDP Drylands Development Centre (DDC) to facilitate the learning process and ensure the objectives of the event are met. The full list of the participants is available in Annex 2. As part of the study tour planning, preliminary consultations were carried out with the UNDP CO focal points and government counterparts in the IDDP intervention countries in SSA to identify the shared DRM capacity needs and interests. Some of the key priority areas for drought/desertification learning and south-south cooperation identified include:

Innovative rain/run-off water harvesting, small-scale irrigation and water resources control techniques especially to address seasonal and spatial changes in water availability efficiently and ensure stability in agricultural and livestock productivity;

Practical measures to improve dryland soil fertility and sustain soil nutrient level to manage the impacts of short-term climate variability and long-term change holistically; and

1 For further details on the 2nd Africa-Asia Drought Adaptation Forum, please visit

http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourwork/environmentandenergy/focus_areas/sustainable_landmanagement/drought_risk_management/aadp/AADP-Forum-12.html.

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Cost-effective replicable approaches and technology for restoration and rehabilitation of degraded dryland forests, farmlands and rangelands not only for agro-ecosystem conservation but also as a means to promote alternative income generation activities through which to improve local livelihoods and enhance resilience to future drought and other disaster risks.

The expected outputs of the study tour include an improved understanding of DRM challenges and opportunities in Kenya and SSA in general. Specifically the DRM capacity gaps identified during the visit would form an important baseline for the follow up tailor-made DRR study tour for African delegation to China scheduled for the 2nd-3rd quarter of 2013. The follow-up study tour will be designed in a manner to present practical lessons and techniques which will help address the key DRR challenges and capacity gaps identified during the Kenya study tour. The priority south-south technical cooperation opportunities identified through the activities will be enhanced and supported further within the framework of the AADP/IDDP and availability of additional funding sources will be explored proactively.

II. OVERVIEW OF THE SITES VISITED DURING THE STUDY TOUR

The study tour team visited 3 drylands Counties namely Baringo, Makueni and Kajiado (See Annex 2 for the travel itinerary). In each County, the team was received by the respective District Commissioner and met with the group of government officials representing different departments and sectors, who escorted the team to various DRM related project sites. The tour team members communicated actively with the community groups, their partner non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community based organizations and direct beneficiaries to learn from their lessons, listen to their concerns, challenges and constraints, and identify opportunities for improved DRM practices. They also shared their DRM experiences and explored the feasibility of some proven approaches practiced in their own countries such as agricultural structure adjustment, water harvesting and saving techniques, diversion irrigation, plastic film mulching techniques, etc., in the local contexts. The tour also visited the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI). After the discussion with the Director, the team toured the Institute's demonstration site for farming (e.g. orange and pawpaw), greenhouse seedlings production, fodder banks, pastoralism (e.g. cattle and goats) and apiculture. The following provides the overview of the Counties visited. Baringo County Baringo County has 6 Districts including Baringo, with a total population of 500, 000. It consists of semi-arid lowland area, which receives an average of 400-600mm of rainfall, and sub-humid highland area, receives an average of 1,200mm of rainfall, with 4 agro-ecosystem livelihoods zones, namely pastoral, agro-pastoral, mixed farming and irrigated cropping. Despite the considerable amount of precipitation in highlands, due to rocky vegetation, rain water is not held in the soil well and largely lost. The main crops grown are maize, millet, sorghum and coffee (cash crop). Large parts of the County maintain peace and security throughout the year, except for the lowlands where conflict over natural resources between the Samburus and the Pokots has occasionally been witnessed.

Makueni County

Makueni County is made up of 9 Districts, with an area of 7,968.8 km2 and a population of 883,671 and a birth rate of 1.5% as of 2009. The key livelihoods activities include livestock ranching, food crop (e.g., maize, beans, green grams, pigeon peas, cow peas) and cash crop (i.e., cotton) production, coffee, horticulture and

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dairy farming. Over the years, the District has been experiencing reduced cotton yields and a growing maize production. The County is divided into 3 major zones: a) marginal mixed farming of cotton and livestock with a population of 463,404 (48.8%), which is the most affected by drought; b) mixed farming of food crops, cotton and livestock with a population of 298, 707 (31.5%); and c) mixed farming of coffee, dairy farming and irrigation agriculture with a population of 187,467 (19%).The Makueni District experiences two rainy seasons, namely the long rains occurring between March and April and the short rains between November and December. Average rainfall ranges from 600-1200 mm in highlands to 300-450 mm in lowlands. In 2012, however, the total amount of precipitation received was 400 mm in highlands and 190 mm in lowlands. Some of the DRM activities led by the government include:

1) Drought early warning system: rainfall, temperature and other data is collected from 13 sites on a monthly basis, analyzed and used to produce a monthly bulletin that is shared with the respective communities and other users. Additional technical meteorological information is provided by Kenya Meteorological Department, which is scaled down and translated into local languages and circulated to local users.

2) Seasonal food security assessments: The assessment is internally carried out and validated by Kenya Food Security Committee. This is a multi-donor, multi-sectoral initiative, involving the key sectors vulnerable to and affected by drought such as water, sanitation, health and nutrition, agriculture, livestock, etc.

3) Drought contingency planning and rapid response: Contingency planning is carried through a participatory process, while the response is sector based and informed by the drought situation.

The government also focuses on soil and water conservation, water harvesting, irrigation, seeds production and capacity building. Key activities implemented include: use of trapezoidal bunds for farming, soil and water conservation using stone and sand dams and terracing, adaptation of drought resistant crops (e.g., sorghum and pearl millet), small ruminants production (e.g., goats), drip irrigation based on water harvested to economize usage, use of green houses for horticulture farming, soil fertility improvement through composting and rehabilitation of gullies; food for assets.

In Makueni County, the tour visited the newly established Kathonzweni District, which has five administrative Divisions and a population of 76,000, given the high frequency of drought occurrence (every two years) and high level of poverty witnessed in the area. The District faces a chronic lack of water for livestock and other agricultural practices with very few permanent water sources and high evapo-transpiration rate. As a result, local communities have often been experiencing food insecurity and environmental degradation, and thus rely heavily on Government and NGO support. Key areas of support to communities include: 1) environmental conservation activities such as soil and water conservation through Food For Assets, terracing, agro-forestry, tree nurseries, water banding, etc.; 2) capacity strengthening of smallholder farmers to help them better link to value chains (main crops including mango and pawpaw); 3)promotion of the use of manure by farmers at household levels. The average distance to a water point is estimated to 8-10 km in normal periods, which goes up to 15 km during drought periods. Due to the quality of water (brackish in nature) in the District, only two out of five Divisions have shallow wells. 19 Boreholes have been constructed to date. There is also currently a plan to divert water from Athi River, which runs across the border of the District, to help communities for farming and human consumption. The District is promoting water harvesting though roof catchments by providing free or subsidized water tanks. These tanks are stationed at central locations, including schools, to distribute water effectively during

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difficult times. Today 35% of schools have roof catchment systems for water harvesting. Nevertheless, most children are required to carry water from home for drinking during school hours, while the government is implementing various school feeding programmes. Despite all the challenges faced, the District’s public schools (93 primary schools, 1 early education centre and 35 secondary schools) are performing well with a low drop-out rate.

Kajiado County

Kajiado County is divided into five administrative districts namely, Loitokitok, Kajiado Central, Isinya, Mashuru, and Kajiado North. It covers an area of 21,902 km2 and has a projected population of 864,432 (2012 projection). The average household size is 6. Altitude ranges from 500 meters above sea level at Lake Magadi to about 2500 meters in Ngong Hills area. The County is highly water deficient. The average rainfall is 400 mm around Lake Amboseli and Magadi and 1250 mm on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Most (92%) of the land is non-arable. Typical vegetation is open grasslands, bushed grasslands, wood and bush land. Pastoralism is the predominant economic activity while irrigation (i.e., furrow, and drip irrigation) is practiced mainly in commercial farms. The livelihoods zones are divided into: 1) pastoral all species (47% of population); 2) formal employment/causal labor (32%); 3) mixed cropping of maize, beans, and tomatoes, etc. (12%); 4) leasing pastoral (5%); and 5) agro-pastoral (4%).

In Kajiado County, the government provides various drought risk management related support to affected local communities. Food Security activities include: 1) provision of drought tolerant seeds; 2) introduction of dryland rice farming, 3) introduction of small scale drip irrigation farming adjacent to pans/dams; 4) introduction of alternative income generating activities such as commercialized brick making, hay harvesting, etc. In the agricultural sector, the government has been assisting the local farmers in growing drought resistant crops, such as sorghum and millet by supplying seeds and other inputs and while providing training services for their use (i.e., Eradication of Hunger and Income Generating Initiative). Pastoralists are also encouraged to harvest rain water, diversify their livestock species (e.g., rabbits, piggery and fish, etc.) and venture into other income generating activities. The greatest challenge is changing behavior and attitudes of communities, including changing dietary customs. In the water sector, during difficult/drought periods, the government leads the provision of water through water tracking to affected communities together with fuel and relief items. Most schools in the County are operating School Feeding Programmes. The Government also encourages the pastoral children to go to boarding schools in order to reduce disruption in their academic year when their parents are on the move in search for water and pasture.

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III. SUMMARY OF OBSERVATIONS MADE DURING THE STUDY TOUR

Baringo County

Site/project or organization visited

Activities Achievements Challenges & Opportunities for Peer

Learning/Assistance Kirandich Dam (National Water Conservation Pipeline Cooperation)

Water harvesting and utilization.

4 rivers draining to Dam (project completed in 2000 and commissioned by Government in 2001). Capacity of 4 million cubic meters.

Introduced livelihoods activities including fish farming. Local NGO has been commissioned to fish and sell the catch to communities at a subsidized price.

Dam provides clean/portable water to a population of 20,000 people daily (8 hours a day) for domestic use, serving an area of approximately 35km

2 composed of 6 zones

(Planned target is 60,000 people).

Fish farm practice improving nutrition & livelihoods of local communities.

Undersupply of water: as opposed to the installed capacity of 14,000 m

3/day, only 3,000 m

3/day is

treated and supplied to consumers due to: i) inadequate distribution system; ii) high electricity power bills; iii) lack of sewerage system in Kabarnet to handle waste water.

Inter alia, power to pump/supply water to community is very high. Dam uses 280 kilowatts for 180 m

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Current operation costs are 1.6 million Kenya Shillings (Kshs) approximately USD19, 000 equivalent

2, of

which Kshs1.4 M is collected in fees and the rest of the deficit is covered by the government.

A project is under development to solve the above problem with the financial support from the Italian Government (18, 8 million Euros).

Eldume -Kapkuikui Irrigation Scheme (Ngemps community)

Crop farming and water management through localized irrigation scheme run by communities with support from Ministry of Agriculture and Water.

Each household is given an acre to grow maize for local consumption and sale (seed) to the Kenya Seed Board.

Each household contributes Kshs500 (USD6 equivalent) to the Group Bank, which is used for maintenance of the schemes equipment (e.g., repair of canals).

Started originally with 200 acres, which has been expanded to 600 acres.

Introduction of irrigation helped community embrace farming as a livelihood option (transformation from purely pastoral to agro-pastoral livelihoods). Farming is considered by many HHs as the highest priority followed by livestock rearing (E.g., cattle, goats, sheep, etc.).

Participating community depends less on relief food from the government. Today humanitarian support is directed mainly to vulnerable groups.

Yield varies (up to 25 x 90 kilogram bags/acre) as production depends on the efforts of farmers.

Small farm size (1 acre) as opposed to the average household size (an average of 6 people)

High maintenance cost of the irrigation systems (e.g. canals).

KARI Perkera Regional Research Centre

One of the institute’s 41 research centres in Kenya.

The centre has a regional mandate on general research and dissemination of technology to improve regional agricultural production.

Various results generated from the programmes including: improved livestock breeding and animal disease/pest control; forage/feed improvement through testing of

Lack of adequate capacity (staff – human resources).

Some programmes are not adequately supported.

Unique position of the centre (i.e., Parastatal

2 October 2012 exchange rate is applied.

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Site/project or organization visited

Activities Achievements Challenges & Opportunities for Peer

Learning/Assistance 10 programmes ongoing (i.e. food crops, horticulture,

industrial crops, animal production, animal health, social economics & applied statistics, seed, adaptive research, outreach & partnership, range resources management & biotechnology) supported by a team of 38 with the budget of USD10 million funded by the government and other partners such as CGIAR.

different rangeland species; apiculture development & promotion (bee keeping); improved natural resource management and water harvesting technology development & adoption by farmers, increased horticultural seedling variety and production (20,000 per year), etc.

Emerging area of work: indigenous vegetables

institution with a regional mandate) enables the centre to work with various partners in the entire region across sector (e.g., farmers, line agencies, other research centres, NGOs, academia/universities, etc.)

Potential for partnering with other dryland countries on research and its application

Perkerra Irrigation Scheme (National Irrigation Board)

Large commercial irrigation scheme using gravity furrow irrigation

Main crops grown include bananas, drylands rice, pawpaw, bulb onions, chillies, watermelons and certified seed maize.

Increased agricultural production

Serves as a demonstration site for commercial irrigation.

Morop Child and Family Programme (Image 1)

Aims to enhance child well-being in society through education, water & sanitation and nutrition support.

Introduced livelihoods improvement & food security activities including: indigenous/local vegetables planting in small kitchen gardens; poultry farming to supplement nutrition; dairy cows and goats distribution (2 goats are passed on to the next family once these have reproduced); seedlings cultivation (e.g. fruit trees like mangoes); and tree planting to improve the environment.

From 1981 to date, 16,000 children supported (target children identified based on poverty level with support from the community chiefs and elders)

Contribution to improved livelihoods.

Sustainability: Sponsorship Programme brings in the largest share of the revenue for operations (800 children are sponsored at present). Without this external support, the CBO would face immense challenges to provide services to all the children enrolled in its programmes.

Loruk Community Tuimani Self Help Group

Peace building project supporting 2 communities (Pokots and Tugen) under inter-ethnic clashes to work together with the external seed funding and 30% cash/in-kind contribution by the communities.

Livelihoods diversification through the introduction of crop farming (e.g., millet, green grams, maize, cow peas, sorghum, beans, pumpkin), in an originally pastoral community.

Group has 117 members (both pastoral and agro pastoralists) operating in 108 acres of land.

Diversification of livelihoods from pastoralism to agro-pastoralism has helped the community to build resilience against shocks such as drought.

Drought and water shortage are the major challenges, affects both livestock rearing and farming. Community still dependent on relief from the government, especially during severe droughts when rainfall fails.

Well established group with a management structure and clear identification of gaps and opportunities (e.g., water harvesting through the construction of a dam from a nearby stream/river for small scale irrigation; fencing to keep out animals from grazing on the crops, etc.).

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Makueni County

Site/project or organization visited

Activities Achievements Challenges & Opportunities for Peer

Learning/Assistance Small Scale Irrigation Project (Mulaani Jasho Youth Group)

Small scale irrigation project, started in 2006, with 22 active members (8 men & 14 women), registered under the Ministry of Gender & Social Services.

Main activity includes horticulture (e.g., tomatoes, cabbages, kale, etc.) grown using greenhouse technology.

Mobilized youth to work as a group, towards a better future.

Accrued Kshs 120,000.00 (USD1,400 equivalent) in 6 months from sale of their produce (tomatoes, cabbages, kale, etc.).

Challenges include poor management & leadership; high cost of fertilizer and inputs; inadequate farming techniques/skills; crop diseases; water shortage due to droughts (dam as the only source of supply, need to purchase water from vendors [tracking system]).

Sand Dam (Africa Sand Dam Foundation) (Image 2)

Help marginalized communities in Makueni, Kibwezi, Kathonzweni, Kilungu, Mukaa and Makindu gain access to clean water for improved food security.

Activities include irrigation, soil & water conservation through terracing, improved organic farming, & seed banking and alternative income generation activities.

Project supports the community self-help groups to conserve soil and water by building sand dams, digging terraces, planting trees and developing their farms to increase food production. Also provide capacity building support on how to adapt to climate change and supply drought resistant seeds.

42 sand dams/45 km of terraces constructed, 10, 761 tree seedlings planted, and 12 community groups assisted to store diverse seed species between July 2010 and September 2011.

E.g., Ivingazia Self Help Group (38 households mainly represented by women) built a sand dam in April 2012, which since then has provided water throughout the year, while people in the community used to walk 16 km to collect water before. Vegetable gardens established close to the dam.

Severe droughts, unpredictable rainfall patterns and food insecurity are the main challenge in the areas of operation. Few water sources, inadequate supply and very limited access to safe and clean water pose significant threats to the health of communities and place a heavy burden especially on women due to long time and distances to collect water (Image 3).

Low cost sand dam technology provides a tremendous opportunity offering a sustainable and viable method for water harvesting in drylands.

Self Help Group requested additional support for a bore hole.

Earth Dam (World Vision)

Provides clean and safe water for the community for domestic use and watering livestock.

Vegetable farming, tree planting and alternative income generating activities (e.g., brick making) have been introduced.

Reduced time for water collection (distance from 8 km to 2 km), increased frequency of bathing (from twice a week to everyday), increased children’s school attendance rate and improved livestock quality.

Need to restrict access to water by animals to avoid contamination.

Need for cost-effective means to build permanent fencing structure for the dam.

Rangeland and Restoration/ Rehabilitation

Support being provided to farmers/communities to rehabilitate rangelands. A suitable area where other crops can grow is selected and demarcated.

Local government provides grass seeds and training support to enable farmers to plant appropriately as different seeds require different soils.

Visited an accomplished farmer who has managed to grow and bail hay. His barn holds up to 1000 bales of hay. Farmer has progressed from using a mechanical hand machine to a mechanized system.

Requires technical knowledge and understanding of grass species as different seeds require different soil textures.

Pasture Improvement and Soil and Water Conservation Model

Covers 3 Districts (323 beneficiaries), targeting voluntary groups based on food assessment reports.

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Kajiado County

Site/project or organization visited

Activities Achievements Challenges & Opportunities for Peer

Learning/Assistance

Jerusalem Dam (met Assistant Chief, Ex-Chief and Dam Chairman) (Image 4)

The dam was constructed in 2009 with support from the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute.

Provides water to 2,000 households for domestic use and for watering animals.

The vision came from the community – the place used to be a seasonal pool/dam that would hold water only for 2 months during the dry season.

Communities provided labour and materials (stone) for construction.

Increase in number of livestock, providing a permanent source of water for livestock.

Reduced time and distance to collect water, lessening the burden on women and girls.

Income generation promoted: tree nursery established with support from JICA for women's group. 100 seedlings purchased from the group for distribution to primary schools.

Water also used for irrigation of vegetable gardens for tomatoes and kale as well as for fish farming.

Increase of wildlife in the area, which however often brings and spreads diseases to livestock.

Enhanced capacity of communities in additional resource mobilization.

Managing conflict between increased wildlife and livestock and their easy access to water.

Controlling transfer of disease from wildlife to livestock.

Faraja- Latia Resource Centre (Image 5)

60 acres of a mixed demonstration farm, working in collaboration with the Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock, growing diverse varieties of vegetable and fruit crops (e.g., sweet peppers, capsicum, tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, kale, bananas, etc.) and livestock species (e.g., rabbits, dairy [cows, goats], sheep, ducks, chickens, etc.). Also practicing beekeeping and fish farming.

Offers training support to farmers and young entrepreneurs in farm value addition activities such as agro processing, value chain addition, fruit processing - juicing, squash, etc.

Identification of target groups carried out with the Ministry of Social Services.

Supporting pastoral communities to diversify their livelihoods from pure pastoralism to agro-pastoralism.

Successfully demonstrated the potential of farming using various farming techniques and practices and helped the participating farmers build their capacity for adoption.

The centre relies on bore hole water for drip irrigation, while it is cost-inefficient to drill boreholes in the region.

The area receives between 500-600 mm of rainfall, this is poorly distributed. Mainly clay soils with poor drainage. No permanent water source available with poor water quality.

Some species such as zucchini or summer squash not commonly known within the local communities (i.e. Massai) and thus limited local markets available.

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Image 1: An Integrated Farmland Site for Mango and Orange

Image 2: A sand dam under construction by the Wazawazi local community

Image 3: Dried up riverbed

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Image 4: A constructed sand dam providing water to community at Ebuyanga Jerusalem village

Image 5: A mixed demonstration farm in Faraja-Latia Resource Centre

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IV. RESULTS AND FINDINGS

Key findings from the study tour are outlined below, particularly in the fields of: 1) government disaster management; 2) agricultural production; 3) water infrastructure construction; and 4) community-based disaster reduction. 1. Government Disaster Management Through the discussions with the relevant government agencies, the study tour team learnt the broad framework of the comprehensive government disaster management system put in place in the country. At national level, in order to address the increased frequency, severity and duration of drought crisis effectively, NDMA was established in November 2011, which is mandated to coordinate the drought-related activities among sectors and guide the efficient disaster risk preparedness planning and actions at national, regional and local levels. The government has also been in the process of establishing a National Drought and Disaster Contingency Fund to ensure timely release of drought contingency finance against credible triggers in drought contingency plans. At regional and local levels, institutional and financial arrangements have been set up at county, district and lower administrative divisions to support the effective implementation of DRM related policy, strategy and programmes. Clear coordination and communication mechanism with the national DRM government entities has also been created. In addition, strong partnership and coordination were observed between the local governments and the non-governmental bodies such as NGOs and international development/humanitarian organizations in the Counties visited, which help maximize the complementarity and synergy of various DRM initiatives. Meanwhile, the team also witnessed some unique and distinctive disaster management approaches adopted in the Counties to respond to the local communities’ needs and priorities efficiently and strategically. For instance, the government in Makueni County has been applying top-down measures, providing direct and robust technical support and guidance to the implementation of various DRM initiatives, contributing to a higher degree of results in terms of agricultural production improvement and livelihood enhancement in comparison to other Counties. In particular, a strong government leadership is required in drought monitoring and early warning, including the effective distribution of information to the end-users (i.e., affected communities) to encourage their early actions. 2. Agricultural Production Most communities visited depend primarily on rain-fed agriculture. Some of the key features of the agricultural practices commonly seen among the Counties include:

1) Low level of productivity: Production largely limited to locally consumed food crops/livestock species, whose outputs (i.e., yields per hectare or acre) are less than one third of the world’s average level.

2) Barren cultivated land and soils: With limited application of organic chemical fertilizers, the soil organic matter percentage and capacity in the cultivated lands to hold nutrients and water has reduced to a very low level. Weak soil condition leads to poor crop growth, with insufficient nutrients and water intake, and low yields.

3) Inadequate water resources management and use: Irrigation facilities and other simple water storage facilities such as small ponds, ditches, cisterns, dams and weirs are not available in most of the farmlands visited (up to 95%). Despite the comparatively abundant rainfall (the average annual precipitation of 600-800mm), rain water is not harvested efficiently but rather wasted in the forms of surface runoff, floods and evaporation. Decreased rainfall use efficiency often results in poor agricultural production.

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4) Limited capacity to control insect pests of crops, pasture and forestry and overgrown weeds on farmland: In all the agricultural demonstration sites visited for grains (e.g. maize), vegetables (e.g., tomatoes, cassavas, cabbages) or fruits (e.g., bananas, oranges, and mangos), the team witnessed overgrown weeds, snatching most of the fertilizers, water and light, contributing to low agricultural productivity.

5) Limited application of crop cultivation techniques: Most of the simple and proven agricultural cropping techniques have not been applied in communities visited including the scientific planting density in row and line, sowing depth, seed coating, fixing moisture for seeding, application of base and additional fertilizers, and prevention and control of diseases and insect pests.

3. Water Infrastructure Construction: Some of the observed constraints and challenges facing the water infrastructure construction in Kenya include:

1) Inadequate overall plan and layout of water infrastructure due to the lack of comprehensive and scientific analysis for the amount and distribution of surface and underground water: Construction undertaken without the underground water distribution data often causes cost-inefficiency and generates unfavourable results. In one location, the community has taken considerable manpower and materials to drill wells only to find no water at all. In other locations, large financial resources were provided to build a dam and drill a deep well, without the feasibility assessment on diverting water from a natural lake, which is located only about 10km from the community. In many locations, strategic and integrated plans for water resources management and use are required.

2) Limited capacity of water infrastructure vis-à-vis the high water demand for different purposes: Due to the limited size of the water infrastructure, even the farmers and pastoralists residing near the facilities still have to depend predominantly on rain-fed agriculture, with limited access to safe clean water. For example, the Kirandich reservoir is the main (or only) source of water supply for Kirandich’s entire urban areas, despite its limited water capacity of 3.25 million m3.

3) Low water exploitation ratio and use efficiency: The study tour team felt that Kenya has very rich and abundant natural resources as well as dedicated and committed human resources for DRM, but the counties’ high water resources potentials are not fully explored and exploited. Featuring the tropical savannah climate, Kenya has rainy and dry seasons. Currently, the country is still frequently plagued by floods and droughts alternatively in a cycle of every few years, if not every year. The condition could be considerably improved, if the unevenly-distributed rainfall can be diverted through the introduction of adequately analysed technical measures which allows to harvest and store/conserve every millimetre of rain, surface and underground water received both at household and broader levels. For example, though threatened by droughts, many irrigated farmlands still apply traditional extensive methods with their ditches unlined. As a result, the use efficiency of the irrigation water proves to be quite low.

4. Community-based Disaster Reduction: Through the direct and in-depth discussions with the local community members in the three Counties, the study tour team learnt the nature and scope of the disaster reduction and management mechanisms developed at local level. Most of the communities visited have established committee structures, which is composed of representatives from the local communities, government, international organization and NGOs. While many communities have expressed their willingness to undertake various DRM measures, their enthusiasm is often not translated into action due to the geographic conditions as well as the limited human, technical and financial capacity. While the team identified the favorable conditions in some communities to

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develop cost-efficient advanced irrigation facilities, these potentials are not fully tapped due to the lack of technical guidance. Culture can become a hindrance to some DRM interventions, such as the development and diversification of livelihoods, if not acknowledged and addressed carefully. For example, some communities refuse to venture into fish farming as a food security improvement measure as they perceive eating fish as an unacceptable alien custom. It will therefore be very important to undertake thorough feasibility studies and analyses to identify the target communities’ needs, interests, potentials and capacity gaps before the introduction and transfer of new tools, approaches and technologies. The government should also endeavor to raise awareness of local communities on the benefits of these tools, approaches and technologies (e.g., nutritious value of fish as a rich source of protein) through education and demonstration.

V. WAY FORWARD

At the end of the study tour, the team reviewed collectively the observations made and findings generated from different sites visited and identified the potential areas of continued inter-regional DRM dialogue and collaboration as follows:

Support in compilation of proven DRM measures: Many countries in Africa, including those which participated in the study tour, have established a comprehensive mechanism to implement and monitor the Africa Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction at both national and local levels. Compilation of the past and ongoing DRM practices in the country including the outputs and lessons learnt will be critical as a guiding tool to inform the future policy, planning and project processes. The study tour participating countries can share their experiences in collecting, sorting and documenting DRM experience both at policy level (i.e., implementation of drought-related policies) and practice level (e.g., well established community practices, proven and practical DRM techniques and technology, etc.).

Transfer of practical DRM technology: Deliberations at the 2nd Africa-Asia Drought Adaptation Forum and during the study tour revealed that there are a number of common capacity gaps cutting across the local, national and regional boundaries. Some of the priority areas of peer-learning and assistance include: drought risk monitoring, early warning and early action; techniques and technology for water saving, harvesting, retention, conservation and diversion; and land rehabilitation measures for soil fertility improvement. Leveraging from the tremendous knowledge, expertise and experiences available in China in these fields, a few demonstration sites could be identified in Kenya as well as in other drought affected countries to pilot the transfer and integration of various applicable/feasible techniques in an attempt to enhance drought preparedness and improve the livelihoods of affected communities.

Promotion of DRM specialist exchange: The study tour also demonstrated the need for support to enhance the capacity of DRM focal agencies both at national and local levels in many African countries to help them guide and support the community-based DRM efforts in the most effective and efficient manner. Transfer of DRM technology, approaches and equipment must go hand-in-hand with adequate and continuous learning support to ensure the sustainable utilization of these tools in the forms of specialist exchange, on-site work, visiting scholar and short and medium training, etc.

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Development of a roadmap for implementation of the agreed activities: a clear and detailed roadmap on how to translate the agreed action points into practice must be developed jointly between China and the selected interested African countries with the facilitative support of the UNDP-DDC and respective UNDP COs.

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ANNEX 1: TERMS OF REFERENCE ON THE STUDY TOUR IN KENYA

Background In large parts of Africa and Asia, drought remains one of the most prevalent disasters. It often poses extensive impact and grave damage to long-term socio-economic well-being and livelihood stability as illustrated by the recent experiences in South Asia in 2009, East Asia in 2010 and 2011, the Horn of Africa in 2008 to 2011 and the Sahel in 2012. Despite its highly visible effects, compared to other hazards, drought is still a hidden risk which tends to be poorly understood and badly managed, as was highlighted in the 2011 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction. Drought is the greatest natural hazard in Africa with regard to loss of life and economic impacts as a proportion of the gross domestic product, in particular in drylands of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).Most of the drylands inhabitants are poor and marginalized, depending directly upon a highly variable natural resource base for their livelihoods, while suffering from the accelerating impacts of desertification. Since 1980, it is estimated that drought is directly associated with some 560,000 deaths, the majority of which occurred in SSA region. In the case of the 2008-2011 drought in the Horn of Africa, for example, which is considered the worst in the region in 60 years, more than ten million people from Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, Kenya and other countries were severely affected. According to the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment, overall effects amounted to US$12.1 billion in Kenya alone, which include US$800 million for the destruction of physical and durable assets and US$11.3 billion for losses in the flow of the economy across all sectors. China is also facing the threat of drought, increasingly affecting even the areas where there is historically ample rainfall, such as southern provinces. For example, consecutive drought in 2011 caused 44 million people to be short of drinking water across the country, and led to US $4.5 billion loss which accounts for 30% of the total economic losses caused by natural disasters in the year. The effects of desertification are also exacerbating the situation of the inhabitants of the drylands. In northwest China, desertified land area has reached 795,900 square kilometers, accounting for 47.7% of total area in Xinjiang Autonomous Region. In the past decades, tremendous efforts are being made to control desertification in the region with some tangible results achieved; yet serious challenges remain. Sand storms and strong winds destroy roads, lands and houses, causing billions of losses every year. Some communities have to entirely relocate as “climate migrants” due to the approaching threat of deserts.

Enhanced Africa-China South-South Cooperation on Drought Risk Reduction The UNDP through its Drylands Development Centre (DDC) commenced the Africa-Asia Drought Risk Management Peer Assistance Project in late 2010 under the flagship Integrated Dryland Development Programme (IDDP) framework. With the financial support of the Government of Japan, the project aims to mitigate the risks of drought and improve human livelihoods in Africa and Asia. A rich collection of drought risk reduction (DRR) experiences and knowledge-based resources is available in the two regions both at policy and practice levels, many of which are deemed applicable beyond regional boarders. With this recognition, the project established a robust, yet flexible, Africa-Asia DRR Peer Assistance Network (AADP), through which to provide an enabling environment for inter-regional knowledge sharing as well as to facilitate the up-scaling of proven DRR best practices among drought-prone countries. The Government of China has been leading the effort to enhance inter-regional cooperation and technology transfer especially in the areas of disaster risk reduction (DRR), building on the Sharm el Sheikh Action Plan adopted at the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Egypt in 2009. UNDP China Country Office (CO) has been providing a complementary support to this process by building national and local capacities in DRR, integrating disaster risk

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reduction in climate change adaptation and other development practices, and supporting China in sharing its DRR experience with other developing countries. Since 2010, UNDP China has been implementing an Umbrella Programme on Mainstreaming DRR in China’s Development. Under the Umbrella, there is a component on enhancing China’s role in international cooperation/South-South cooperation in disaster risk management. At sub-national level, UNDP is implementing a project to improve risk-conscious natural resources use and ecosystem protection in the arid region of Central Asia, through providing a platform for technological cooperation between China and its neighboring countries in the region. It is against this backdrop that the concept note was prepared between the UNDP DDC and the Country Office in China on Enhancing Asia-African Cooperation and Promoting Integrated Drought Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation. The agreement was made to integrate where possible resources and activities between the AADP and UNDP China Country Programme towards the common objectives of:

1. Strengthening the Asia-Africa partnership in DRR communication and knowledge exchange; 2. Promoting sharing and transfer of lessons learnt from China's DRR experience with/to

African drylands countries through exchange visits and study tours as a means of drought capacity enhancement;

3. Improving existing DRR policies, strategies and initiatives in China improved and integrating them into the nation’s climate change adaptation and other development agenda, drawing from the experiences and lessons from African countries; and

4. Enhancing the resilience of drylands communities in response to water-related disasters and climatic extremes by implementing pilot demonstration initiatives in China and African countries.

Purpose of the Study Tour The proposed study tour aims to foster partnership between China and drought-prone countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by promoting inter-regional dialogue on specific drought issues of mutual concern among key DRR-focused government and non-government actors from China and selected African countries. With full AADP sponsorship and support, participants to the study tour are expected to deepen their understandings of DRR capacity needs observed commonly in Africa as well as the opportunities for China-Africa technical cooperation to fill in these gaps. This is a pilot activity responding directly to the increasing demands and recommendations among the government/NGO AADP users to promote targeted south-south peer-learning and -assistance support and build focused bilateral and multilateral DRR networks and practice communities. It is envisaged that the study tour will take place from 3 October 2012 immediately after the 2nd Africa-Asia Drought Adaptation Forum scheduled for 1-2 October 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya. It will comprise a delegation of approximately 10 people. They include the Government and UNDP representatives from China, Ghana and Namibia, as well as the selected development/humanitarian partners actively engaged in the field of DRR in Kenya. The group will be accompanied by the UNDP DDC and China CO focal persons to facilitate the learning process and ensure the objectives of the event are met. Kenya was selected as the destination of the study tour given the country’s long history of fighting drought and rich collection of experiences with DRR. While there are differences in topographic, climatic, agro-ecological and socio-economic settings among the participating countries, Kenya offers a number of demonstration sites which shall showcase a concise overview of drought impacts and DRR practices largely seen in SSA, hence proving a suitable ground for mutual learning and exchange.

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As part of the study tour planning, preliminary consultations were carried out with the UNDP CO focal points and government counterparts in the IDDP intervention countries in SSA to identify the shared DRR capacity needs and interests. Some of the key priority areas for drought/desertification learning and south-south cooperation identified include:

Innovative rain/run-off water harvesting, small-scale irrigation and water resources control techniques especially to address seasonal and spatial changes in water availability efficiently and ensure stability in agricultural and livestock productivity;

Practical measures to improve dryland soil fertility and sustain soil nutrient level to manage the impacts of short-term climate variability and long-term change holistically; and

Cost-effective replicable approaches and technology for restoration and rehabilitation of degraded dryland forests, farmlands and rangelands not only for agro-ecosystem conservation but also as a means to promote alternative income generation activities through which to improve local livelihoods and enhanced resilience to future drought and other disaster risks.

Expected Results It is anticipated that the study tour will result in an improved understanding of DRR challenges and opportunities in Kenya and SSA in general. Specifically the DRR capacity gaps identified during the visit will form an important baseline for the follow up tailor-made DRR study tour for African delegation to China scheduled for the 4th quarter of 2012. The mission will be designed in a manner to present practical lessons and techniques which will help address the key DRR challenges and capacity gaps identified during the Kenya study tour. The priority south-south technical cooperation opportunities identified through the activities will be enhanced and supported further within the framework of the AADP/IDDP and availability of additional funding sources will be explored proactively.

Scope of Work Organization of the study tour:

o Programme preparation including the selection of organizations to convene meetings with, demonstration sites to be and other activities to be organized (informal meetings, discussions etc.).

o Logistical preparation including flight reservations, transportation and hotel arrangements, assistance with visa procedure (invitation letters), etc.

Preparation of the Study Tour materials and guidelines: o The study tour materials, documentation, guidelines, etc. for handing over to the

participants shall cover main topics as described above.

Contact For more information, please contact: Yuko Kurauchi UNDP Drylands Development Centre P.O. Box 30552-00100 Nairobi, Kenya Tel: +245 -20-7622300/4509 Email: yuko.kurauchi@undp.org http://www.undp.org/drylands

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ANNEX 2: LIST OF PARTICIPANTS TO THE STUDY TOUR

Name Organization Title Email

Dr. Yang Siquan Satellite Application Center for Disaster Reduction, National Disaster Reduction Center, Ministry of Civil Affairs, P. R. China

Director (Also Member of Technical Advisory Committee, International Center for Drought Risk Reduction)

yangsiquan@ndrcc.gov.cn

Ms. Guan Yan Department of International Cooperation at National Disaster Reduction Center, Ministry of Civil Affairs, P. R. China

Deputy Director (Also Secretariat of International Center for Drought Risk Reduction)

guanyan@ndrcc.gov.cn

Dr. Li Maosong Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning at Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Senior Analyst Lims868@yahoo.cn

Ms. Qu Yanping Department of Water Hazard Research at China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research

Engineer quyp@iwhr.com

Mr. Francis Nanabayin Mills

National Disaster Management Organization in Ghana

Chief Disaster Control Officer - Climate Change

nadmo@live.com

nadmo_hq@rocketmail.com

Ms. Mary Mwale National Drought Management Authority in Kenya

Drought Management Officer

mary.mwale@aridland.go.ke

Mr. Joseph Appiah-Gyapong

UNDP Ghana Programme Specialist joseph.appiah-

gyapong@undp.org

Ms. Sarah Anyoti UNDP Drylands Development Centre

Programme Specialist, AADP Secretariat

Sarah.anyoti@undp.org

Ms. Ruth Mwathi UNDP Drylands Development Centre

Programme Associate, AADP Secretariat

Ruth.mwathi@undp.org

Ms. Yuko Kurauchi

UNDP Drylands Development Centre

Programme Specialist, AADP Secretariat

Yuko.kurauchi@undp.org

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ANNEX 3: AADP KENYA STUDY TOUR PROGRAMME

Day Activity

3/10/2012 (Wed)

Meeting with the Ministry of State for Special Programmes and the Ministry of State for Development of Northern Kenya and Other Arid Lands in Nairobi

Travel to Kabarnet, Baringo District (Overnight in Baringo)

4/10/2012 (Thu)

Field visit in Baringo (Overnight in Baringo)

5/10/2012 (Fri)

Field visit in Baringo (Overnight in Baringo)

6/10/2012 (Sat)

Field visit in Baringo

Travel to Nairobi (Overnight in Nairobi)

7/10/2012 (Sun)

Travel to Makueni County (Wote township) (Overnight in Makueni)

8/10/2012 (Mon)

Field visit in Makueni (Overnight in Makueni)

9/10/2012 (Tue)

Travel to Kajiado County

Field visit in Kajiado

Travel to Nairobi

Wrap up (Overnight in Nairobi)

10/10/2012 (Wed)

Departure for overseas participants