For generations, Kenya’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands — regions that stretch across a vast portion of the country — have been defined by scorching heat, erratic rainfall, and the ever-present threat of drought. Communities in these areas grew accustomed to depending on relief food as a lifeline whenever dry seasons turned severe, with little expectation of breaking the cycle on their own terms.
That picture is changing in Makindu, Makueni County, where smallholder farmers are embracing a new set of climate-smart agricultural practices designed to work with nature rather than against it. Techniques such as ripping — which breaks up compacted soil hardpans — alongside zai pits for rainwater harvesting, mulching to lock in soil moisture, crop diversification, and timely climate advisories are helping farmers produce food even during the most difficult growing seasons.
The shift has been deeply personal for some. Josephine Mwende recalls the humiliation of being excluded during a relief food distribution and made a firm decision that her household would never rely on handouts again. Today, whenever food aid is announced in her area, Mwende is out working her land instead — a powerful symbol of what agricultural self-sufficiency can restore.
Fellow farmer Rebecca Kioko credits ripping as the single biggest change on her plot. The technology allows rainwater to penetrate beneath the hardpan layer and remain available in the soil for far longer than before. Cowpea crops that once struggled to survive past June now continue yielding well into October and beyond. Her maize harvest has also tripled — jumping from two bags to six bags per season — a result that has transformed how her family eats throughout the year.
Beyond individual farms, the Kimatwa Women’s Sacco in Makueni has become a community-driven engine for scaling these innovations. Backed by World Bank funding channelled through the CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project, the Sacco offers its members affordable loans at a two percent reducing balance rate, alongside training and hands-on technical support. Membership has grown from 600 to 870 farmers since the interventions began — clear evidence of how quickly communities rally around solutions that deliver real results.
The stakes extend well beyond Makueni’s borders. Across Africa’s arid and semi-arid zones, over 255 million people are currently living with hunger, yet adoption of suitable farming technologies sits at only 30 percent, held back by financial, technical, and socio-cultural barriers. Agricultural researchers are unequivocal on the economics: every dollar invested in agricultural research generates ten dollars in returns.
Development experts and stakeholders stress that placing women and youth at the centre of technology adoption could double or even triple agricultural output across the region. Getting there will demand genuine coordination — bringing together national and county governments, the private sector, development partners, and academic institutions not as separate actors, but as committed partners working toward the same goal.
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