FOOD SECURITY MITIGATION THROUGH DROUGHT TOLERANT CROP VARIETIES AND IRRIGATION IN SEMI-ARID TANA-RIVER COUNTY

Abstract

The major constraint to food production in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) of coastal Kenya is low soil moisture and lack of improved drought tolerant maize varieties. Average annual rainfall is low in most areas and total annual evapo-transpiration is high. The evapo-transpiration exceeds rainfall in most months of the year hence the need for water harvesting or irrigation strategies. Though the ASAL have traditionally been considered best suited to extensive livestock grazing, this have changed as more people have moved into these areas and introduced crop farming. Despite the adversity of the marginal areas, farming is practiced, notwithstanding the frequent crop failures. In these areas farmers grow maize varieties recommended for the medium to high rainfall zones resulting to crop failures. This state of affairs has been aggravated by prevailing climate change conditions. Research work was therefore carried out to present various options of mitigating adverse effects of climate change and detrrmine the most effective ones among drought tolerant maize varieties, , grain legume crops and irrigation. Three drought tolerant maize varieties: PH1, DH01, DH02 were evaluated against PH4 (check) and along three different planting spacings of  90 x 30 cm, 90 x 60 cm and 90 x 90 cm with varied number of seeds per hill and leading to the same plant population of 37,037 plants ha^-1. Pulse crop trial comprised of three cowpea varieties: K80, M66 and Kenkunde. The performance of three tomato, two capsicum and three kale varieties was evaluated under two irrigation methods i.e drip and sprinkler irrigation. Results showed that DH01 had significantly (P<0.05) same yield as PH4 (check). Significantly (P<0.05) higher grain yield was observed between the spacing of 90 cm x 30 cm and the rests of the spacings. There were no significant (P<0.05) yield differences among the three cowpea varieties. Tomato variety Tegemeo had the best performance of 38.7 t ha^-1. Kale leaf yields were significantly different (P<0.05) among the varieties. Collards had the best performance of 34 t ha^-1. Capsicum fruit yields were significantly different (P<0.05) between the two varieties evaluated. Commandant had the best performance of 22.67 t ha^-1. The irrigation methods did not show any significant yield differences among vegetable type and varieties. The study showed that drought tolerant maize varieties, cowpea and irrigation technology could be used to mitigate effects of frequent droughts in the ASAL and improve food security situation in the affected areas