Kenya’s irrigation drive offers rice farming lessons for Africa

Kenya’s efforts to expand irrigated rice farming offer a practical lesson for other sub-Saharan African countries seeking to reduce food imports, strengthen food security and protect farmers from increasingly unpredictable rainfall.

With rice demand rising across the continent, irrigation is emerging as a key investment for increasing local production, improving yields and making farming more reliable. However, Kenya’s experience also highlights the need to combine water infrastructure with improved seeds, financing, mechanisation, processing facilities and access to markets.

Rice has become one of Africa’s fastest-growing food commodities, yet domestic production has struggled to keep pace with consumption. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for about a third of global rice imports, while the continent spends more than US$6 billion annually importing the grain. Expanding local production could retain more of this expenditure within African economies while creating opportunities for farmers, millers, traders and other businesses.

Kenya is pursuing an irrigation-led approach through the National Irrigation Authority’s Rice Intensification Project, which aims to increase annual paddy production from approximately 300,000 tonnes to one million tonnes and narrow the gap between domestic supply and demand.

The strategy involves expanding and rehabilitating irrigation infrastructure in key rice-growing areas, including Mwea, Ahero, Lower Kuja and South West Kano, alongside schemes in Coastal Kenya and Western Kenya.

According to the source article, Kenya’s paddy production increased from approximately 192,000 tonnes in 2022 to about 305,000 tonnes in 2025. While further investment is needed to meet the national target, the progress demonstrates the importance of developing irrigation schemes that enable farmers to manage water supplies and plan production more reliably.

Unlike rain-fed farming, irrigation allows farmers to control water application according to crop requirements, reducing their dependence on seasonal rainfall. Where water is available and well managed, farmers can improve production planning, adopt better farming practices and potentially increase the frequency of cropping, depending on local conditions.

For Kenya, expanding irrigation also presents an opportunity to strengthen the entire rice value chain. Reliable water supplies must be matched with quality seeds, affordable credit, fertiliser, appropriate machinery, storage facilities, milling capacity and dependable markets. Without these complementary investments, higher farm production may not translate into better incomes or affordable rice for consumers.

The adoption of improved varieties is another important part of this strategy. Komboka, a high-yielding rice variety developed through collaboration involving the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), has attracted interest from farmers and other value-chain players. Such varieties can help increase productivity when matched with suitable growing conditions and effective crop management.

Other African countries can draw lessons from Kenya by investing in irrigation systems suited to their local environments rather than relying entirely on rainfall. Governments could rehabilitate existing schemes, develop water-storage infrastructure, improve irrigation distribution networks and support smallholder farmers to adopt efficient water-management practices.

Countries should also assess their river basins, groundwater resources, soil conditions and competing water demands before expanding irrigated agriculture. Sustainable irrigation requires proper drainage, efficient water use, maintenance funding and safeguards against the depletion of water resources. These considerations are particularly important in drought-prone areas where agriculture, households and ecosystems depend on the same supplies.

Experiences elsewhere on the continent show that different approaches can deliver results. Tanzania achieved a rice self-sufficiency ratio of 112 per cent in 2023/24 and has become a supplier to neighbouring markets. Ethiopia has also expanded rice cultivation significantly, supported by a national programme that prioritises the crop.

These examples suggest that African countries can reduce dependence on imported rice when they combine sustained investment with policies that support farmers, domestic businesses and regional trade. Irrigation can provide a foundation for this transformation, but success also depends on making improved technologies, finance and markets accessible to producers.

Regional cooperation could further strengthen these efforts by facilitating trade, sharing research and improving coordination on rice production and market development. The African Union’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme strategy for 2026–2035 provides a broader framework for increasing agricultural output, reducing post-harvest losses and expanding intra-African agrifood trade.

As African countries pursue rice self-sufficiency, Kenya’s irrigation-led strategy offers an important starting point: invest in dependable water supplies, equip farmers with suitable technologies and connect increased production to functioning markets. Replicating these principles across sub-Saharan Africa could help turn the continent’s growing demand for rice into an opportunity for local production, rural employment and stronger food security.