PS Kimotho: Kenya to add one million irrigated acres by 2035

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Irrigation Principal Secretary Ephantus Kimotho. [Courtesy]

The government aims to expand irrigated land by one million acres over the next decade under a new investment plan, as it seeks to close a gap between the country's irrigation potential and current coverage.

Irrigation Principal Secretary Ephantus Kimotho announced the target on Monday, July 6, during the inaugural Sustainable Irrigation Scaling Coordination Convening in Nairobi, co-hosted by the State Department for Irrigation and the Gates Foundation.

Kimotho said the government will implement the National Irrigation Sector Investment Plan 2025-2035, a 10-year strategy that seeks to expand irrigation, improve productivity in existing public schemes, strengthen farmer-led irrigation and attract private sector investment.